Fred Meyer Needs to Stop Racial Profiling

When Sade Rivers popped into her local Fred Meyer store in Portland, Oregon for shampoo, she expected it to be a quick trip — but instead was disturbed to see an alarming trend for companies, like Fred Meyer, to blatantly racially profile and discriminate against their customers.

As soon as Rivers got the store, she noticed that Fred Meyer had placed all hair products labeled as "multi-cultural" in a locked case that you'd need to call a manager to access. No other hair products were locked up.

This is nothing less than racial profiling and discrimination. Sign the petition to tell Fred Meyer to treat ALL customers with equal trust and respect.

A Fred Meyer spokesman said that deciding which items might "require additional security measures" is a "data driven" choice — but this all PR speak to cover up the truth.

To put it in plain terms, Fred Meyer is saying that they think their black and brown customers will steal these products. And because of this belief, Fred Meyer has chosen to single out, embarrass, and stigmatize innocent shoppers — solely because of their race or ethnicity.

A recent Pew Research Center study showed that 46% of black people reported unfair treatment in stores, and a vast majority of people of color reported many other discriminatory measures like store security following them, excessive staring, or denial of products — like Fred Meyer's locking up "multi-cultural" products to prevent theft. These aren't just "data-driven" loss prevention decisions; this is blatant racism hidden in plain sight.

Singling out people of color for increased scrutiny by companies like Fred Meyer is not new — but it should never be tolerated. 

That day, Sade Rivers left the Fred Meyer store upset, telling local news, "Even if I was to ask for someone to open (the case), now will I be followed through the store? Or will they look at me and think 'She is probably going to steal that so let's keep an eye on her?'"

Fred Meyer needs to do better for Sade Rivers and all their customers! Sign the petition calling on Fred Meyer's leadership to stop discriminatory practices and racial profiling.

Photo credit: Screenshot, KOIN 6 News

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