"I witnessed what I believe to be racially biased behavior from the staff at a store in Geneva, NY. An older gentleman asked to see some tobacco products, but the cashier seemed to hold onto them as if she suspected he would steal. While I could somewhat overlook that, I was taken aback by how she spoke to him and treated him afterward. The older Black gentleman, who was clearly in his 70s or 80s and wore a Vietnam veteran hat, tried to buy cigars but was denied because he didn’t have an appropriate photo ID—only a Social Security card.
I was in line and offered to buy the cigars for him since it was apparent he was struggling. However, the cashier, Danielle, refused. The gentleman gave me cash outside so I could try again to purchase the cigars, but she still declined, stating that she knew they were for him. I can’t shake the feeling that if he were White and I were White, we wouldn’t have been treated in this manner. I understand that there are store policies in place, but the way she handled the situation felt clearly discriminatory."
