Employees at an Old Navy store in West Des Moines, Iowa are being accused of racially profiling a Black customer named?James Conley, III whom they accused of stealing his own jacket.
Today I was racially profiled by the Old Navy store in West Des Moines, Iowa in Jordan creek. I was accused that I didn’t pay for my blue bubble jacket that I got for Christmas that I wore into the store.
Fortunately Conley documented his experience with photos and videos.
Details + video below…
James Conley, III, a happily married father of two,? payed a visit to his local Old Navy store to buy a pair of hoodies and was shocked when he was asked to remove his coat at the checkout counter.
Old Navy has a policy against racial profiling. Is it working? pic.twitter.com/MBWpWGzBgD
— AJ+ (@ajplus) February 1, 2018
James was wearing a coat he’d previously purchased from the popular clothing chain and apparently employees felt he’d stolen it during his visit because the person behind the counter told him that he would have to pay for the coat he was wearing as well.
He follows up his post with video documentation:
Conley tells local news outlet KCCI he was totally humiliated during the ordeal.
There were customers, Caucasian, in front of me and behind me, who had on Old Navy apparel similar to what I had on, and they didn?t get checked or anything.
Of course Conley refused to pay for his own jacket, which he had received as a Christmas gift last year, and when the store manager finally checked security camera footage they confirmed that he had indeed worn the jacket into the store and he was allowed to leave without having to pay for something he already owned.
I didn?t get any apology from the district manager, the store manager or any other employees.
Old Navy, which is owned by Gap, Inc. issued the following statement in response to social media backlash: