Woman in racial profiling case speaks out

Waiting for ‘long overdue apology’ from Sobeys

A Halifax-area woman at the centre of a racial profiling case at Sobeys is speaking out for the first time as she awaits a “long overdue apology” from the company.

Andrella David said in a statement on Thursday she has “stayed quiet long enough.”

An October 2015 human rights inquiry found that David had been discriminated against based on her African Nova Scotian race and perception of income when she was unjustly accused of stealing.

In April, Sobeys was ordered to pay David $21,000 in a remedy decision, but they have yet to implement any inquiry recommendations or offer an apology.

“This was never about the money for me; it has always been about the dignity and respect that I deserve,” she wrote. “I am awaiting a long overdue apology from Sobeys group, and I am truly saddened that Sobeys will not recognize that the behaviour and comments of their employee, not only about me but about my community, as well, were simply racist.”

David’s case involves an assistant manager at the Hammonds Plains Road Sobeys who accused her of shoplifting multiple times in 2009, and said they had caught her on tape.

The manager said they’d caught someone stealing at Sobeys “not too long ago from Pockwock Road” in reference to a street in the historically black Upper Tantallon community, and referenced “cheque day” when discussing which day of the week David was alleged to have shoplifted.

Earlier this week, the African United Baptist Association of Nova Scotia called for a boycott of Sobeys to protest the grocery chain in light of the company’s lack of steps to begin racial sensitivity training, which was a key recommendation of the inquiry.

A rally outside the Hammonds Plains store in March this year was also held to protest the Sobeys appeal and ask for an apology to David from the company.

David wrote she is “truly grateful” for the support she’s received, not only from friends and family, but the entire community of Upper Hammonds Plains, people across Nova Scotia and around the country since the issue became public.

“After seven years, I will continue to fight for accountability, staff training and I will continue to await an apology that has been well overdue,” David wrote.

In an email on Monday, Sobeys spokeswoman Shauna Selig said the company will soon withdraw their appeal of the human rights decision, but did not give a timeline on when that will happen or whether an apology will occur.