A Target security guard allegedly punched a customer during a confrontation that ensued when she requested “reparations” while paying for more than $1,000 worth of groceries.
The incident took place at a megastore in Blue Ash, Ohio, in October, as per a police report. The customer, Karen Ivery, reportedly asked the cashier to speak with the manager about the bill and reparations, which the cashier claimed Ivery brought up several times during their brief encounter.
According to the Dailymail report, Ivery became irate as she walked aggressively towards the manager and requested reparations. Ivery kept berating the manager about reparations and her privileged life. The situation escalated when Zach Cotter, a loss prevention officer, intervened and asked Ivery to calm down and leave the store. However, she refused and began to follow Cotter to his office, screaming at him.
When he tried to shut the door, Ivery allegedly forced her way in, and Cotter threw a punch, causing her to hit the floor. Surveillance footage of the incident, showed the punch causing Ivery to fall to the ground. After reviewing the footage, the authorities determined that Ivery was the “aggressor” and placed her under arrest.
Ivery was sentenced to a day in jail and charged $110 for disorderly conduct, according to the Daily Mail. In a bodycam video of the purported incident posted on YouTube, Ivery told an officer she wanted the cashier to contact the manager “so we could have a larger conversation about how money works, and how the provision works, and how it’s been working in our community in a very wrong way.” She added, “This is my Rosa Parks moment.”
Reparations have been a topic of heated debate in recent years, involving a government entity or other institution providing money or funding to people of color who are either descendants of slaves or marginalized in another way. However, the incident at Target highlights the potential controversies and misunderstandings surrounding the issue.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.