A security officer is out of a job after he was caught on video racially profiling a Black shopper and his friends as they perused a New Orleans grocery store.
Branson Morgan detailed the incident in a Facebook post, saying he and his friends were picking up groceries for dinner at the Breaux Mart on Sept. 1 when he noticed a security guard begin to follow close behind them. Morgan said the officer made them feel highly uncomfortable, so he pulled out his cellphone to record.
Branson Morgan claims the security guard made disparaging remarks before following he and his friends out to their car. (Branson Morgan / Facebook video screenshot)
“Three of us (two white, and me) were in one aisle looking at products ( …not causing a scene, being disruptive or causing any harm whatsoever) when this security guard comes up, stands about 3 ft from my friends and I and crosses his arms in a very confrontational, oppressive way,” he wrote.
Morgan and his friends continued shopping but said it became increasingly clear that the guard wanted them to feel “unwelcome.” So he told his friend, who had a full basket of groceries by this time, to put the items back because “we’re not spending money at a store like this.”
“On the way [to the front], the security guard follows us very closely the entire way,” he recalled. “We’re very disgruntled and disgusted at this treatment, and as we seek to find the manager and report this mistreatment, the manager is of absolutely no help!”
Morgan claimed the security guard made several “negative, derogatory and ridiculous” remarks toward him and went so far as to follow the group outside to his friend’s car before snapping a photo of the license plate.
The next day, the manager of the grocery store confirmed that the security guard had been replaced.
“Breaux Mart has zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind and we take this situation very seriously,” the company wrote on its Facebook page. “We treat our employees, and customers equally, no matter what. In the meantime, the security guard on duty has been replaced while we investigate.”
Watch more in the video below.
This is my first time every experiencing anything like this : Today, my friends and I visited Breaux Mart On Magazine. Our friend was buying groceries to cook dinner for us all. Three of us (two white, and me) were in one aisle looking at products (not causing a scene, being disruptive or causing any harm whatsoever) when this security guard comes up, stands about 3 ft from my friends and I and crosses his arms in a very confrontational, oppressive way. We notice , and one of my friends asks “Can I help you ?” Noticing the man who is now just inches away from me making me feel very uncomfortable . “No. Can I help you?” He replies very rudely. Aisles away, our friend stood in the produce area with a full basket. At this point we felt VERY uncomfortable and it was obvious that he was profiling us, and wanted us to feel unwelcome. I then tell the man that we have money and are not doing anything wrong. We go a few aisles away to find our friend and tell him to return all of his items, and that we’re not spending money at a store like this. On the way there, the security guard follows us very closely the entire way. We are very disgruntled and disgusted at this treatment, and as we seek to find the manager and report this mistreatment, the manager is of absolutely no help. He said “I’ll review the camera and see if y’all had a basket.” But there are MANY other customers of different color than I shopping around for single items with no basket – we never made any distraction and had no malice intentions. After being very disgruntled and returning ALL items in the basket due to the discrimination, the security guard (who I overheard making negative, derogatory and RIDICULOUS comments in the background) then follows us out and takes a PICTURE of my friends license plate. This is UNACCEPTABLE and I am very upset and disappointed in Breaux Mart for this treatment. You lost customers today- and we will never be back.
Posted by Branson Morgan on Saturday, September 1, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/BreauxMart/
