I cannot honestly tell you how despicable the security's actions were—but, I don't expect this institution to change (I hope it will). Consumers and Pete's employees alike, do with this information as you see fit.
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On Thursday, February 6, 2025, I followed what is certainly a...
Read MoreI cannot honestly tell you how despicable the security's actions were—but, I don't expect this institution to change (I hope it will). Consumers and Pete's employees alike, do with this information as you see fit.
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On Thursday, February 6, 2025, I followed what is certainly a dogmatic routine: I worked—laboriously, as many of us do—exercised with my personal trainer, and retreated home (a commute, for me, that’s normally over an hour on Chicago’s Green Line).
Like hundreds of folkx in my neighborhood, I am a habitué of Pete’s Fresh Market in Oak Park; it’s convenient being only a block from my home. I purchased a box of sweet plantains, plant-based eggs, and “fresh” watermelon juice—all three items totaling over $25 (certainly a reflection of my indulgently health-conscious preferences and, arguably, rising grocery prices). And at nearly 8 p.m., with only two bananas having fueled me for the day, I hastily tap my phone at checkout and walk to the exit. I’m hungry.
But on this night, I was stopped.
The security guard asked me to open my backpack. I asked why. His answer resembled what disgruntled parents tell their children; it was unquestionable and devoid of any substantive justification. So, in the spirit of matching energy, I refused. Just as he subjected me to an inquisition, I returned the favor and questioned his authority—acknowledging that I had never seen him before. Seconds pass. We’re both tired. He admits he’s accusing me of theft.
In quick succession, I returned to customer service and demanded that he now apply his (allegedly) indiscriminate search protocol to every customer leaving the store—or at least employ a randomized search. Several customers left the store, and he didn’t. So, I asked him to identify his colleague(s) who had accused me of stealing or to produce surveillance footage of me committing the crime. He laughed and doubled down.
He doubted my honesty. So, I doubted his integrity and accused him of racial profiling. His reply was inane: “I’m Black!” he said. I retorted that Black folks can be “racial” and complicit in systems that perpetuate prejudice (knowing he wouldn’t recognize the nuance, as his prior comment had already made that clear). But, to be fair and to acknowledge his determination to be judicious, I suggested he call the police.
A minute or so later, a store lead or manager runs to customer service, and remarks that I paid for my items. I finally leave. I’m still hungry.
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There were multiple problems with this encounter:
1. Pete’s Fresh Market’s website, as of 2/6/2025, does not cite any rules permitting illegal searches of patrons’ bags;
2. Pete’s Fresh Market in Oak Park, as of 2/6/2025, does not display a sign alerting customers to the possibility of random searches;
3. The security guard’s refusal to call the police could be seen as an attempt to de-escalate—or as a subtle acknowledgment that he had no proof and was, in fact, profiling; and
4. In nearly five years of frequenting this location, I have never seen other customers subjected to this type of search (but to be fair, I’m not an employee so I wouldn’t know).
“Gut feelings” are not data (i.e., surveillance footage or witness testimony) nor is it probable cause; and it’s certainly, as of today, not publicly-visible store policy that supported his request for a search. His refusal to call the police and apply this rule universally demonstrated that he wasn’t enforcing security—he was enforcing bias.
Oh yeah, it’s freezing in Chicago, and I’m an immunocompromised, 6’2” Black man who was wearing black workout gear, a black Uniqlo coat, rocking short locks, and a white N95 mask—clearly, a suspect on the run.
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