TJ Maxx apologizes for racially profiling Connecticut family

Retailer TJ Maxx apologized after a Connecticut family claimed they were racially profiled in one of the chain’s stores.

According to Melissa Askew-Ferris, one of her sons was falsely identified for shoplifting earlier this month while the family was at the store near Hartford, in Wethersfield.

While in the store, Askew-Ferris’ three sons were followed by employees until leaving the store. An employee later identified one of the boys as a shoplifter who had struck before the family arrived.

However, security footage of the theft showed no resemblance aside from both Askew-Ferris’ son and the thief being black.

“To have this actually happen now, now I worry about not being in the store with them. I want to be there,” Askew-Ferris told Eyewitness News 3.

To Askew-Ferris’ dismay, she was unable to get in touch with anyone at a corporate level at TJ Maxx.

In response to Eyewitness News’ inquiry into the incident, TJ Maxx formally apologized.

“We take this customer’s concerns very seriously and expect that all of our customers will be treated with dignity and respect when shopping in our stores," the company said. "We have spoken with our customer to sincerely apologize that this was not the experience of her and her family.”

The statement added that all employees would undergo unconscious bias training in order to prevent similar incidents happening in the future.