The city of Los Angeles has fined the Smart & Final grocery store chain $10,000 for allegedly violating the civil rights of a Black man at the chain’s downtown L.A. store.
It’s the first enforcement action under the city’s 2019 Civil and Human Rights Ordinance, according to an announcement Monday.
“The significance of this case is to send a message that hate and discrimination won’t be tolerated in Los Angeles and folks will be held accountable,” said Capri Maddox, executive director of the L.A. Civil Rights Department, which issued the fines.
At a Monday morning news conference, Corey Brown said he was told in September 2022 by security personnel at the Smart & Final store on South Figueroa Street, near West 8th Place, that he had to leave his backpack at the front of the store before shopping.
Brown said he instead left, dropped off his bag at home, then returned to the store.
“I saw other patrons — non-African American patrons who were permitted to keep their bags and backpacks while shopping,” Brown said at City Hall. “All I wanted to do is to get groceries, but I was treated differently than other patrons in the store, all because of the color of my skin.”
The Civil Rights Department said in a statement that its investigators found “a ‘bag policy’ at the specific Smart & Final location, which was discriminatorily enforced based on customers’ appearances.”
Smart & Final issued a statement Monday afternoon saying it had “only just received information from the City regarding these claims, which involve a former third-party security guard.”
The statement continued: “We take these allegations very seriously and are actively investigating the matter. Discrimination goes against our core values and has no place in our…
Read the full article here
