A Dallas department store sales clerk purportedly has been fired after a viral video put him on blast for allegedly uttering a derogatory racial slur after a Black customer walked by, in earshot of the man’s 10-year-old son.
The father circled back, with his young child quietly standing beside him, to demonstrate how to check seemingly racist behavior and actions without being causing a scene.
On Monday, July 23, at the North Park Center’s Dillard’s store, a Black man and his son believe they were violated by a white store associate named Homer, who allegedly said, “F##king N##gers,” after he walked past him.
The man’s cousin, who witnessed the entire altercation, captured part of the incident on the video and posted it on her Instagram. In her caption, she gave a detailed account of what led Homer to use the bigoted term.
The relative said her cousin, the adult African-American male in her video, asked Homer for directions to the store’s fitting room. The older gentleman is claimed to have “pointed … in the direction,” saying as he walked away, “F##king N##gers.”
The 10-year-old boy, who was shopping with his father, heard Homer utter the racially toxic interjection and made his parents aware of what was said.
His father first attempted to report the sales clerk to his manager, but was told, according to the witness, “a manager wouldn’t be available until Tuesday.”
The parent decided to directly address Homer about what his son and others heard him say.
The video picks up at the top of the confrontation with the Black man saying, “My 10-year-old son heard you call me a ‘f##king n##ger.’ I want you to know it’s unacceptable. You shouldn’t do that. You’re too old for that.”
He continued to inform him that his family has been valued customers at Dillard’s for years.
“I carry myself with honor,” he continued in a steady and controlled tone. “I would never disrespect any human being by calling them outside of their name.”
“You don’t know the impact of what you’ve done to my son. Or maybe you were unaware.” the father stated.
Homer interrupts the man and says he didn’t notice the boy was present when he remarked.
The unnamed Black man said, “It doesn’t matter about you noticing. You shouldn’t be speaking that way. Period.”
Homer said he only said something regarding his “hurt his leg,” denying that he said the N-word. The cousin recording the video says in her caption the sales clerk said a rack from the Ralph Lauren Polo section fell on him.
The father did not let him off, instead asking about his tenure at the department store and morally challenging his conduct.
“[You’ve worked here] over 20 years and you’re acting that way?” he asked.
In an attempt to get Homer to consider all of the dynamics associated with the use of the N-word, he explained all the various triggers people of color may have.
“You don’t know what straw could break the camel’s back,” he warned him.
“You disrespected myself … disrespected my family,” he said. “I would never do your children, your family, or even you … nobody living … I would never treat anybody that way.”
“I want you to know, man-to-man, that sh#t’s not cool,” before telling him his personal story, “You don’t know what [someone might be going through]. I have grace and honor. I was raised with morals and values. But I have lost a lot. I’ve lost my mother. I’ve lost my mother-in-law. I lost my sister. All last year. You don’t know the mental state the next human being could be in.”
“And it wouldn’t be a cop … it wouldn’t be a security guard … it wouldn’t be nobody that could stop me from getting on your ass if I wanted to, you understand?”
The man told him, with his son attentively watching, this is not about age or race, but an issue as to how all people should be treated — with respect.
He also said he would use this incident as a learning lesson to teach his son how not to be an “idiot” or “act a fool,” telling him “don’t be like Homer.”
After seeming to have an understanding, the father informed the sales associate that he spoke to a supervisor and will let everyone know about the awful treatment that Homer gave him and his son at Dillard’s.
Before leaving Homer, who seemed to be red with embarrassment, he told him in parting, “May God bless you and keep you moving forward. I will pray for you. Peace and blessings.”
One person in the comment section said the gentleman demonstrated “Pure class” in how he handled the situation.
“Respect, love and peace to dude and his son. He handled that in a decent way because I don’t if I would have been as peaceful,” UniqueLove48 confessed.
Another wrote, “He handled that so well that I almost feel bad for the dude lol damn you got taught a lesson at your old age lol smh.”
Many vowed not to shop at Dillard’s again and held contempt for Homer.
“I hope Homer loses his job and so much more,” TaraJoy79 stated.
A statement from the company appeared on Twitter on Thursday night may have answered the IG user’s wish.
The tweet replied to one comment, saying, “The allegations made against our former employee were promptly investigated, found to be in clear violation of our standards, and his employment with Dillard’s was immediately terminated.”
However, Dillard’s has not released a formal statement from its corporate headquarters.
