By Ana Gore, Elvir Mujkanovic and Samar Mustafa
Two supervisors at a CVS at 6150 N. Broadway in Edgewater no longer work for the company, after an encounter with a customer alleging racial discrimination went viral.
The company said Monday that both employees “are no longer employed by CVS Health,” and the company said it apologized to the woman who posted the video.
Chicago resident Camilla Hudson said she attempted to use a manufacturer’s coupon at the store, only to be told by a manager that he didn’t believe it was real. When she 1complained, the manager told her she was harassing him and called police, she said. She began taking video of the encounter.
Hudson, who is black, said she believed she was being singled out because of her race. One of the supervisors, Morry Matson, who is white, is a local activist who is running for alderman for the 48th Ward. One of the issues he has championed has been access to lakefront beaches, including attempts to make sure that African Americans are allowed access to all beaches. He has claimed he was a delegate for President Donald Trump, although he does not appear on a list of Illinois delegates published by ballotpedia.org, a clearinghouse for political information.
News of the CVS encounter quickly spread on the internet, and various videos have generated more than 100,000 views.
At the store Monday, a supervisor referred all questions to a corporate spokesperson.
CVS issued a statement in Twitter Monday.
“We have sincerely apologized to Ms. Hudson for her experience in one of our Chicago stores,” the statement said. “Our region director in Chicago contacted her as soon as we were made aware of this incident. We have completed our investigation, and as a result the two colleagues who were involved are no longer employed by CVS Health. CVS Health does not tolerate any practices that discriminate against any customer, and we are committed to maintaining a welcoming and diverse environment in our stores. We have firm non-discrimination policies in place to help ensure that all customers are treated with respect and dignity. Profiling or any other type of discriminatory behavior is strictly prohibited.”
You can read a more detailed report of the encounter in the Chicago Sun-Times here, and in Block Club Chicago, here.
