Black woman says CVS manager called cops over wrong coupon
Camilla Hudson wanted to use a manufacturer’s coupon at CVS on North Broadway on Friday night, but a manager who said he’d never seen a coupon like that called the police, she said in a Facebook post.
“So, THIS just happened: I had the police called on me for attempting to use a coupon @ the CVS Pharmacy located at 6150 N. Broadway in Chicago!” Hudson said in her widely shared Facebook post.
In the video, the manager, identified by Hudson as Morry Matson, is seen shaking as he speaks with police on the phone. While describing Hudson to police, he calls her African-American to which she responds “I’m black. Black isn’t a bad word.”
Matson is running for 48th Ward alderman. One of his campaign promises is “increased police presence throughout Alderman Matson’s 48th Ward.” According to his aldermanic campaign website, he was a state delegate for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election and is president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Illinois, a group advocating for LGBTQ conservatives.
Hudson said in her post that there were three officers who showed up in response to Matson’s call, and she spoke with them before leaving the store. Chicago Police could not immediately respond to confirm.
“We sincerely apologize to Ms. Hudson for her experience in one of our stores. Our Region Director in Chicago contacted Ms. Hudson as soon as we were made aware of this incident. CVS has begun an investigation and we will take any corrective action that is warranted to prevent it from happening again,” CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement.
Hudson said in a Facebook message that CVS regional director Joe Haas ‘‘apologized profusely’’ after the incident.