Tesoro

I am an African-American woman who was the subject of overt profiling by, who appeared to be, the owner of the shop. I walked in and did not receive a "hello" in response to my hello. The owner was on the phone at her desk in front of the shop while three older women browsed in the other parts of th…

I am an African-American woman who was the subject of overt profiling by, who appeared to be, the owner of the shop. I walked in and did not receive a "hello" in response to my hello. The owner was on the phone at her desk in front of the shop while three older women browsed in the other parts of the shop. Within minutes, I distinquely overheard the owner say to the person on the phone, "Let me change phones so I can watch this woman in my store." I had to assume that she was referring to me since she was not watching the three other women before I arrived. I continued to browse and noticed the owner keeping close tabs on me while continuing her personal conversation on the phone. She then noticed me watching her behavior and asked me in a very snappy way if I had any questions. I said I did. She ended her conversation and in a very annoyed manner said, "What is it?" This is not the behavior of a proprietor who makes a living on the purchase power of her customers. I told her what I had heard. She denied it vehemently and accused me of being paranoid. Obviously this woman is unaware of the inequities that befall minorities in establishments across the country. She insisted that she was watching the three other women because, as she said, shoplifting usually involves three people. There was no use arguing with this uninformed and insensitive woman. This is not the first time that I have been confronted with this situation and I am certain that it will not be the last.