Apple Store Employees Told Black Teens to Leave Because They Might 'Steal Something'
Six black teenagers were told to leave an Apple store in Australia because staff feared they "might steal something." The entire incident was caught on tape by one of the students, who posted the 19-second video to Facebook.
In the video, an employee of the Apple store in suburban Melbourne is heard telling the teens, "These guys are just a bit worried about your presence in our store.
"They are just worried you might steal something," the employee added.
One of the teenagers responded: "Why would we steal something?"
"End of discussion," the Apple employee said. "I need to ask you to leave our store."
The manager at the Apple store where the incident took place personally apologized to the teens, and Apple itself issued its own apology, telling CNBC:
"We've looked into the details of the situation and we apologize to the customers involved. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure all our customers are treated the way they should be."
In a statement given to The New York Times, Apple added: "Inclusion and diversity are among Apple's core values. We believe in equality for everyone, regardless of race, age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation."
At least one of the students, however, said he would "never forget" the incident.
"The world knows our story," Mohamed Semra said in a Facebook post. "This coulda happened to any other African kid. Racial profiling needs to stop period."
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