Strange thing happened at the grocery store...

[oldlady]

I suppose we all have our 'breaking point' moments. I've had enough of this 'kick ass' attitude floating around in the world. It just seems everything from schools, workplaces, etc. are so --- oh, I don't know militaristic, authoritarian...just plain hostile. No one asks questions any more..it's all judgement and punishment and winning through power/force. *sigh*

Anyway, I guess I got filled up with that vibe. Coming out of the grocery store today there were six store employees, mostly young folks, who had a woman bent over, face down into the trunk of the car, and her arms up behind her back. Again, these weren't cops, these were clerks and stock folks. They were all white, the woman was black, maybe 30 years old. She wasn't fighting, but was yelling at them to get their hands off her. Eventually, they pulled back some and she just stood with them with her head down, though two still held her arms. Three of the six were on cell phones-- talking to friends or co-workers it seemed like.

I caught the eye of one of the older employees and said, shaking my head: I'll never shop here again. He asked why and I said: with all these security cameras and a license plate you don't need to go the extra mile and get all vigilante. He said the woman had shoplifted and the police were coming. I said: so human dignity is worth less than three bucks to you? that's why I won't be back. I got in the car and my daughter exchanged a couple of complaining remarks about them being clerks, not cops--(she's probably just a couple years older than him) with the outspoken clerk and we drove away. As I exited the parking lot two squad cars came in with lights screaming.

I circled the lot and found they'd handcuffed her and stood her to the side, while the cops & clerks stood around chatting (nobody was writing anything down, just talking).

So, I parked, got a cart and unloaded the car. I went to the service desk and returned several hundred dollars worth of groceries. Got my money back and did my big shopping trip all over again elsewhere. I figure if they have enough employees on hand to send six to stand in the lot for half an hour, they have enough employees to reshelve my groceries.

Look, I'm not justifying the woman trying to take whatever she had walked out with-- I'm just sick of all this hostility. (I was calm and matter of fact about returning the groceries-- just said I didn't want to shop anywhere that trained young people that group physical force against a 5 foot tall woman was warranted in the loss of store property--

Anyone else think the whole country's got steroids in the water??

peace