Myer Accused Of Racially Profiling Aboriginal Teen Shopping For Formal Wear

Myer is being accused of racially profiling a 16-year-old Aboriginal boy in Perth, after security was called for no other reason than he was alone in the change room.

Jaylen Garlett, 16, was shopping with his dad Shem for a shirt and accessories for his school formal on March 8. While Jaylen was trying on shirts on the fitting room, Shem stepped outside to make a phone call.

“I heard a call over the intercom calling for security to attend the men’s formal wear fitting room,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “Since my son was in the fitting room I made my way there to see if he was ok. As I neared the fitting room the staff from the nearby service desk had gathered. I asked the lady at the service desk if everything was ok. She told me that there was a boy unaccompanied in the change rooms that didn’t have anything to try on so she called security.”

Shem told the woman that she had in fact called a security alert for his son, and that he was alone in the change room because he was waiting for the assistant to return.

“She seemed stunned so I asked her why she called security for my son,” he continued. “She told me that last week a purse was taken from the service area, expecting me to understand. I asked what this had to do with my son, but no response… I then explained to her that this is not the first time he’s had security called on him and it is for this reason I don’t allow him to shop in Myer or David Jones alone.”

He said that he explained to her that she was racially profiling, as “the only thing she would have noticed was a young Aboriginal man, in her mind, appearing to be in the wrong place. This is not grounds to make a panicked call for security over the intercom. She did not witness any crime being committed. There were at least 10 staff including security in the area within 30 seconds.”

He said everyone was “confused and embarrassed” when the assistant returned with more shirts for Jaylen to try on.

“We spent more than $200 on a shirt and accessories but I was tempted to just walk away. I thanked [the assistant] for her assistance and explained that she was the only reason why I didn’t take our business elsewhere.”

In his Facebook post, Shem suggested that Myer undertake Aboriginal Cultural Competency training or employ more Aboriginal people “to allow your staff more opportunities to interact positively with Aboriginal people.”

“This is not an isolated incident as many of my Aboriginal friends and family have shared similar experiences of being racially profiled and harassed by security when shopping,” he said.

Jaylen and Shem. Source: Facebook.

Shem later told ABC Radio Perth that he became “quite upset and quite embarrassed” with the scene, and that both he and his son had been shocked.

“This was a full-scale security call and to me it was an over-reaction.”

In his Facebook post, he said he believed there were grounds for a complain of racial discrimination to the Equal Opportunities Commission, and was prepared to make one if he wasn’t satisfied with Myer’s response.

Myer has since met with the family and apologised, saying in a statement that there were “no other factors involved” other than the teen apparently entering the change room without any clothes.

In a statement provided to ABC News, it said:

“Myer is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion across our stores and workplaces and we want our customers to feel welcome and safe shopping with us irrespective of gender, background or sexuality,” a spokesman for the store said.

“Myer has looked into this matter, which came about due to a misunderstanding between team members when the customer entered the change rooms without any clothing items. There were no other factors involved.”

Shem’s Facebook post – which included a pic of Jaylen in his school formal gear – has gone viral, with over 1000 shares at the time of writing.

Many are congratulating Shem for raising this issue and expressing their upset, while others are sharing their own stories of racial profiling in Australia.

You can read Shem’s Facebook post in full below.

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