UPDATE at 7:23 p.m. PST
TSRUpdatez: The Old Navy employee seen in the video is no longer working there.
An Old Navy spokesperson has responded to The Shade Room’s request for comment with the following:
“Old Navy was founded in 1994 to be a place where everyone belongs. It’s been a part of our culture and values since day one, and always will be. That makes it even more upsetting when incidents occur that don’t reflect those values. We are so sorry that Lisa Calderon had an unacceptable experience in one of our stores, and we apologize for letting her down. Following a thorough investigation, we’ve taken action in accordance with our values and policies. The employee involved in this situation is no longer with Old Navy. We have ongoing training opportunities for our employees globally to ensure everyone who shops and works in our stores feels welcome and respected, and will continue to do so.”
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Lisa Calderon is highly aware that racial injustice exists, but she never thought that she would be the one to have to expose it.
Her story, which was all caught on video, begins at a shopping mall in Mississauga, Canada, where she went to exchange a pair of slippers on Monday at an #OldNavy store because she accidentally bought the wrong size. While there, she felt two employees were profiling her after she tried on some clothes.
She decided the store didn’t need her business after a brief confrontation and that she would exchange the slippers at another store. She kept it moving to another store, but that’s when one of the Old Navy employees caught up with her and accused her of stealing. “I feel angry and humiliated and I feel like my civil rights were violated,” Lisa told #TheShadeRoom. “I want to make sure this never happens to anybody else. That’s my main goal of working with the police and Old Navy right now.”
To make matters even worse, the employee, who was identified as Stephanie, put her hands on Lisa and wouldn’t let go in an attempt to make a citizen’s arrest. Lisa says the employee got aggressive and only let her go after Lisa started yelling and a security officer ordered the employee to let go.
Lisa said Stephanie told her she was caught on camera walking in the store with one shirt and leaving out with another. Lisa was confident that the camera footage would prove her innocence and agreed to go back to the store, only to have the store claim that the cameras no longer worked.
The store’s manager apologized to Lisa and told her that the district manager would be contacting her after the whole ordeal and now Lisa is demanding justice.
Lisa is demanding Old Navy to hold Stephanie accountable for her actions and wants to know what discipline measures will take place due to the “horrific nightmare” of an experience she had.
“I felt racially profiled, embarrassed, distressed, violated, discriminated against, confined, hopeless, humiliated in front of hundreds of (people) in the mall, and was physically assaulted by your employee Stephanie, and the security guards did nothing to help, until I was visibly in distress, and I believe this happened to me because I’m black, and I need a detailed account of what steps are being put in place, to both discipline her, and to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Lisa wrote to Old Navy.
We’ll keep you updated on this one, Roommates.
TSR STAFF: Christina C! @cdelafresh
