June 22nd 2023.
Devondrick Hartsfield, a Black employee at Van Marcke's Ace Hardware store in Arlington, Texas, experienced a shocking and racist prank while on the job. On June 19, 2023, while walking in the back of the store with a store manager, Hartsfield spotted a noose hung from the ceiling.
“Before we walked to the door, he told me to look up, and I looked up, and when I looked back at him, he was like, ‘It’s a joke, Juan left his backpack,’” Hartsfield said. “And when I looked back up, I saw the noose with the rope, and I was like, ‘What the hell?’”
Hartsfield, who has been with the company for four months, is the only Black employee at the store. He said that he took the prank as a message that a Black man was being hung and dismembered. This fear of being targeted has meant that Hartsfield is fearful of returning to his job.
The Arlington store has responded to the incident by posting a message on its Facebook page that it is looking into the alleged racist incident. They also added that they are committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for employees and customers.
Hartsfield has contacted the local NAACP chapter and OSHA to investigate the incident further. This is not an isolated incident in Texas and it serves as a reminder of the racial injustice that is still prevalent in our society.
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