Protesters will gather outside of a Cincinnati Walmart to take a stand against what organizers are calling a racial profiling incident.
Anternitita O'Neal was shopping at the Walmart at 10240 Colerain Ave. on May 18 when she says she was accused of stealing. Now members of the Anti-Police Brutality Coalition are holding a protest outside of the Walmart on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
O'Neal streamed a portion of the interaction on Facebook Live. Employees confirmed during the video that O'Neal did not steal anything.
"It makes you feel like less than human, makes you feel so belittled, I've been traumatized every day since," O'Neal told the Enquirer on Wednesday.
Throughout the video, she says that she is experiencing anxiety. "People don't understand how this makes Black people feel. My life was put at risk. I didn't know if the police were going to come and start shooting or cause harm."
The Colerain Police Department was not called to the scene but Walmart security did come and speak with O'Neal.
Since the interaction, O'Neal says Walmart managers have called her to apologize and have assured her that the employee who accused her of stealing has been fired.
Walmart media officials from headquarters had not heard of the incident and could not confirm if the employee had been fired.
Protesters are now gathering on Thursday calling for a comprehensive diversity screening and bias training for all Walmart employees to prevent further incidents. O'Neal is also asking for compensation for damages and a public apology from Walmart.
O'Neal said this incident was not the first time that her family has experienced racial profiling. Three years ago, her children were accused of stealing from a Kroger in Mount Airy, she says.
The Anti-Police Brutality Collective is a local group focused on the principles of anti-racism and anti-police brutality. O'Neal has worked with the organization before, following the death of her oldest son Dontez O'Neal, who was shot by a Cincinnati police officer in 2012.
Protesters will gather at Walmart from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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