So a woman named Essie Grundy, Essie
recently filed a lawsuit against a Paris,
California Walmart store.
Alleging racial discrimination after she
noticed that only the African-American
hair products were locked up
behind the glass at their store.
Grundy, who is being represented
by famed attorney, Gloria Allred,
claims that hair products for
other races were easily accessible.
In fact, she shot video in the store
as proof, check out the video.
>> As you can see, they're all locked up,
all the way down,
even the hair dye is locked up.
But you come around the corner, you
come around the corner, and guess what?
None-
>> Ma'am, do you know which one you need?
Because I've got a line
waiting on me over there.
>> None of the Caucasian
products are locked up at all.
>> Grundy also alleges she was accompanied
to the cash register by an employee
when she wanted to buy a $0.48 comb.
And was not allowed to touch it
until after she had purchased it.
When asked for comment, Walmart
issued a statement saying, in part.
The decision about which items are subject
to additional in store security is made on
a store by store basis.
And often at the discretion
of the store manager.
Ladies, do you see this as
a form of racial profiling or
is the store just trying
to protect their products?
>> So your store manager
is allowed to be racist?
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> How does that work?
Because if it's by store, by store,
so I can be a store manager and
just decide, I think that these
would be safer behind the glass.
That's just crazy, this is absolutely
discrimination, in my opinion, and
I think that it's not fair, and
I know what that feels like.
A lot of us have experienced going into
a store where someone is following you and
you are like, work,
I'm not trying to steal anything.
And that really happens.
>> Let me ask you a question
on that example, really quick.
So, it's not right that African-American
products, solely, are behind the glass,
yes, you're absolutely right about that.
But let's say you're the store manager,
and you notice every day,
that those particular products
are being stolen off your shelves.
That exact one, not the Caucasian, or
the Hispanic, or the Asian products, but
those ones,
what would you do as a store manager?
Because you also have to meet quota
with what you've bought in, and
what needs to sell, what would you do?
>> I think, then, lock it all up.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> That's it, lock it all up.
>> So lock up all the?
>> Yeah, it takes just as long time,
it takes just as long time,
if somebody needs something,
the razors are locked up.
>> So I was going to say,
I live here in Los Angeles, and my razors,
Gillette razors and
contraceptives, are locked up.
>> So is the Sudafed.
>> And I know, yeah.
>> [LAUGH]
>> I just happened to notice that when I
see them locked up I'm like,
damn, people be stealing this.
>> Electric toothbrushes
are locked up in my area.
Well, this is what a Walmart store manager
told Business Insider that some products
are kept in a locked case
due to high theft issues.
Adding that it is not
a racist act by the retailer.
If it was me,
what I would do is I wouldn't leave
the store until they told me why.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> I would ask to see the manager and
be like, okay, if that's your policy,
I would like to see proof of that policy.
I would make sure that I would get the
answers I need before I left that store.
>> Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> And she's obviously taking
it a step further,
even now that she's left the store,
she's still like, that's not cool.
>> Yeah,
I would want to see it written down,
because they can say this, obviously,
but I would want to see the facts.
>> How about you just go to another store?
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> That will give you, I go to Target,
okay, they don't lock
up everybody's stuff.
So, the whole point is, we live in
a capitalist society, that means that
there are laws against discrimination,
that shouldn't happen.
But
if you feel like you're not being treated
correctly, don't go to that store,
don't support it.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> That's, I mean, that's all I can say,
because people do steal.
And I have to say something,
everybody steals, white people,
Asians, Latino, everybody steals.
Don't put it on just black people to
steal.
>> I have record that I have stolen in my
past so it does, it's anywhere.
>> [LAUGH]
>> Do you guys remember the movie,
there was a movie, Don't Be A Menace To-
>> Yeah.
>> South Central While Drinking Your Gin
and Juice.
>> [LAUGH]
>> Remember there was a whole scene-
>> That's a long title.
>> Where the black guy, well, obviously,
they go in and they're like just walking
around and they, sorry, Jeannie.
>> [LAUGH]
>> The Asian woman is like,
hurry up and buy.
Hurry up and
buy, you guys don't remember that?
And the white guy was the one stealing
everything and nobody was watching him?
>> That's why I'm saying,
go to a different store, honey, that's it.
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> Yeah.
