A white Nike store manager was caught on camera accusing a black family of stealing a basketball. Joel Stallworth and TaMiya Dickerson bought the basketball at the Santa Monica store for their 19-month-old son, Samuel. They accused the manager of racial profiling and wrongly accusing them of shoplifting, and Nike is now investigating, CBS Los Angeles reports.
TaMiya Dickerson posted a video to Facebook that starts out happy, then turns into a contentious situation. First, her son Samuel is excitedly playing with his "first basketball" inside the Nike store. Later, Dickerson and her family are seen outside the store, speaking with the manager and a police officer.
The video also includes a copy of the receipt for the $12 basketball. Dickerson alleges a store manager followed them out of the store and accused them of stealing the ball, despite the family telling her they purchased it. The manager flagged down Santa Monica police officers for help.
"Emotions got high as my family and I tried to explain we paid for the ball, it's ours we own it," Dickerson wrote in the post. "We were accosted on all sides having to stoop to her level."
Dickerson demanded a refund and an apology, CBS Los Angeles reports. "This is what happens to us all the time," she is heard telling the officer, alleging the manager racially profiled them.
The couple did return the ball for a refund, according to CBS Los Angeles. Nike has now responded to the July 5 incident.
"We are taking the recent situation at our Santa Monica store very seriously, and we are currently investigating the facts. We have reached out to the family to express our deepest apologies, and we will continue to work with our teams to deliver on our expectations for consumer experiences," Nike spokesperson KeJuan Wilkins said in a statement to CBS Los Angeles.
TaMiya Dickerson posted a video to Facebook that starts out happy, then turns into a contentious situation. First, her son Samuel is excitedly playing with his "first basketball" inside the Nike store. Later, Dickerson and her family are seen outside the store, speaking with the manager and a police officer.
The video also includes a copy of the receipt for the $12 basketball. Dickerson alleges a store manager followed them out of the store and accused them of stealing the ball, despite the family telling her they purchased it. The manager flagged down Santa Monica police officers for help.
"Emotions got high as my family and I tried to explain we paid for the ball, it's ours we own it," Dickerson wrote in the post. "We were accosted on all sides having to stoop to her level."
Dickerson demanded a refund and an apology, CBS Los Angeles reports. "This is what happens to us all the time," she is heard telling the officer, alleging the manager racially profiled them.
The couple did return the ball for a refund, according to CBS Los Angeles. Nike has now responded to the July 5 incident.
"We are taking the recent situation at our Santa Monica store very seriously, and we are currently investigating the facts. We have reached out to the family to express our deepest apologies, and we will continue to work with our teams to deliver on our expectations for consumer experiences," Nike spokesperson KeJuan Wilkins said in a statement to CBS Los Angeles.
