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Woman Forced to Strip In Front of Target Employees to Prove She Didn’t Steal Swimsuit, Lawsuit Alleges

A Detroit woman said she was “humiliated” after reportedly being forced to strip inside a Target store to prove she did not steal a bikini. Now she and her legal team are suing the retail giant for racial profiling.

Speaking with WXYZ Detroit, Ashanae Davis said the incident occurred on May 22 when she visited a Target store in Southfield, Mich. As she tried to leave, Davis said she was accosted by loss prevention officers who cuffed her and led her to a room at the back of the store to prove she wasn’t wearing the swimsuit underneath her clothes.

“To obtain her freedom she then has to pull up her shirt with two male employees at Target to prove she hasn’t stolen a bikini top and then she has to pull down her pants to prove she hasn’t stolen a bikini bottom,” said Davis’ attorney, Jasmine Rand. “… And only then would they let her leave target.”

Davis, who is Black, said the ordeal left her feeling “degraded” and “upset.” She said she and her lawyers, Rand and counsel Maurice Davis, plan to file legal claims against Target Corp., including racial profiling and gender discrimination.

“Someone needs to be held accountable and it shouldn’t happen to anyone else,” she told WXYZ Detroit.

Representatives for Target addressed the incident in a statement and apologized to Davis for the alleged profiling.

“We want everyone who shops at Target to feel welcomed and respected and take any allegations of mistreatment seriously,” the company said. We’re sorry for the actions of our former team member, who created an experience we don’t want any guest to have at Target.”

“Upon reviewing our team’s actions, we terminated the team member who was directly involved and are addressing the situation with the security team at the store,” it added.

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