June 22nd 2023.
Lamar Richards and his partner were excited to spruce up their newly purchased home, so they headed to Bed Bath & Beyond. Little did they know, their shopping experience would be anything but plush. According to Newsweek, they were accosted by an employee who took over $200 worth of items from their cart and stored it behind the counter until after they finished shopping. Police officers later revealed that they were called to the store by staff who suspected the two of shoplifting.
This incident occurred during both Juneteenth weekend and Pride Month, a time when Lamar Richards, an incoming Johns Hopkins University graduate and director of advocacy at the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, was looking to start building generational wealth. As a Black gay man, he was shocked to find himself profiled in this way. He took to Twitter to share his experience with a photo of him and his partner in front of their home. “We had no idea the police were there because they were called for us,” Richards tweeted. “I have a Johns Hopkins T-shirt and my boyfriend has on a Michigan College of Pharmacy T-shirt. We literally just wanted to buy some stuff for our new house and THIS is the welcome we get to the area.”
Bed Bath & Beyond responded to the incident with a statement, calling the behavior of the staff intolerable. “We are deeply concerned about the reported incident and are actively looking into the matter, as we do with any incidents described that are inconsistent with our policies and procedures,” the statement said. The company is now taking steps to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.
It's unacceptable that Lamar Richards and his partner were treated this way. Everyone should feel comfortable and respected when shopping, regardless of their race, sexual orientation, or any other factor. We can only hope that this incident is an isolated one, and that no one else has to experience the same thing.
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