A Tennessee woman said she was handcuffed at a Victoria’s Secret in suburban Memphis on Monday because of her skin color.
Jovita Jones said an employee at Victoria’s Secret in Collierville forgot to remove the censor on a bra she purchased recently at the store. On Monday, she took the bra back to have the censor removed.
"I told her she could keep the bag up there. I was going to go look around the store," Jones said.
As she made her way to the dressing room with new items to purchase, Jones spotted a police officer walking toward her.
"He could have asked, ‘Ma'am, can I search your bag?’ He didn't do any of that. He just came in and (slapped) handcuffs on me. He made up in his mind I was guilty," Jones said.
An employee had called police on Jones, who has no criminal record. The store tried to make things right by offering Jones a $100 gift card, but she was not satisfied.
"I told her a $100 gift card is not going to take back the discrimination, humiliation, defamation that I faced in that store that day," Jones said.
A spokesman for Victoria’s Secret sent the following statement:
“We are sincerely sorry for the experience Ms. Jones Cage had in our store. Bottom line, we made a mistake, and we do not tolerate this behavior. Our head of stores has been trying to reach Ms. Jones Cage to personally apologize for her experience. Victoria’s Secret is adamant that all customers be treated with dignity and respect. We have investigated the matter, and the associate involved is no longer employed with our brand. In addition, we are meeting with every associate in the store to reinforce our values and policies. We are committed to delivering an excellent shopping experience to every customer, every time … we have work to do -- and we are dedicated to this mission.”
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