
A California woman is suing Walmart, claiming that the store’s policy to lock certain products subject to a higher rate of shoplifting inside glass cases is racist.
Essie Grundy is taking a Walmart in Perris, California, to court, saying she felt like a second-class citizen because items popular with black customers were locked behind glass doors, CBS Los Angeles reported.
Grundy explained that she originally bought a small comb in another Walmart outside her neighborhood and wanted to get more as gifts, but when she went to the location near her, she found the 50-cent items inside locked glass cases.
“I noticed all of the African American products was locked up under lock and key,” Grundy said at a press conference spearheaded by activist lawyer Gloria Allred.
Grundy claimed she confronted the local Walmart manager and asked to have the lock-and-key policy changed, but the manager refused the request.
The mother of five children said she feels African Americans are being treated like thieves and criminals by having their most sought-after products locked up.
Grundy wants an apology and wants the courts to force Walmart to stop its secure stocking practice.