TO THE EDITOR:
On Monday of this week, an African-American sophomore at the University was apprehended by police at CVS on flimsy charges — read: racially profiled.
The backstory: a young African-American woman was shopping at the East Franklin Street CVS on Monday evening, March 31. As she went up and down the aisles picking out items she needed, apparently she was being followed by the store manager, who took her for a thief. Even after she paid the $92 for her items, the manager called the police! When the officers arrived, they determined she “fit the description” of a burglary suspect they were on the lookout for. What, young, female and African-American? Is that all they need to detain a black person these days in Chapel Hill? They detained the now shocked and frightened young lady whose only crime apparently was being black in a white society which still can’t look into the eyes of a black person. The officers searched all the bags the woman had with her. Even though they could see she had paid for all her items, they continued on to search her body! They found nothing. The CVS store manager has not apologized. Not only does the young lady deserve an apology from Larry J. Merlo, CEO of CVS, but this store manager needs to be fired. Our town expects and demands nothing less. Meanwhile, the Chapel Hill Police Department needs to do its own soul-searching, discovery and discipline of its officers for frisking a woman even after they knew she had paid in full for items in her bags.
If this isn’t racial profiling, I don’t know what is, and Jim Crow is being fed and nurtured by a white populace who need some good home training.
Sonia Katchian
Chapel Hill, N.C.
