EYEWITNESS 5 NEWS: WHO'S WATCHING THE STORE? {PARTS 1-3} (TV)
Summary
Segments from this Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, local news program.. Anchors Angela Astore and Mark Suppelsa introduce a special segment in which the "Eyewitness News Investigative Unit" checks to see whether stores are intentionally targeting minority customers as shoplifting suspects during a four-month investigation of local stores. Joel Grover presents part one of his series. First, Grover examines black customer Gwen Dixon, who is targeted by security at the Carson Pirie Scott store at Brookdale Mall. Video shot by an undercover reporter shows how plainclothes security guard "Dave" admits to targeting black customers. Grover notes that this behavior is against store policy. Next, Grover compares whether "tester" Gwen will be targeted more than a white woman also set up as a "tester." In fact, security guard "Cindy" goes well beyond her required job to monitor Gwen. Afterward, Gwen discusses her feelings about how she was treated. On another day, Grover again sets up more tests, and similar results occur. Grover summates the results of fourteen tests, presenting some disturbing findings. Jerry Heintz, the senior vice president of Carson's, discusses those findings. In part two, Grover looks at how stores are ineffective at catching shoplifters. Grover's team examines how security works at a K-Mart store in Richfield and a local supermarket. Grover gets a copy of a memo from a Carson's security official that specifically targets blacks. Heintz admits that the memo is racist and states that its author has been disciplined. Grover then presents some numbers on shoplifting charges for minorities, comparing them to numbers on white shoplifters. The latter make up the higher percentage, Grover notes. Loss Prevention Consultant Barb Andrews tries to make sense of the statistics. In part three, Grover takes the story one step further as he examines how minorities are treated after being wrongfully accused of shoplifting. One such black man, Richard Moody, presents his story of being abused, after which a black woman, Jackie Cooper, tells how she was accused of shoplifting lipstick. Elizabeth Higginbotham, a professor that studies racial inequality, offers theories on why such incidents are occurring. Grover concludes the series by showing what steps could be taken to improve the situation, receiving input from Steven Cooper, former human rights commissioner.
Details
- NETWORK: KSTP-TV
- DATE: November 30, 1990
- RUNNING TIME: 0:20:25
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:29440
- GENRE: News
- SUBJECT HEADING: News
- SERIES RUN: KSTP (St. Paul, Minn.) - 1991
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Angela Cushman … Producer
- Angela Astore … Anchor
- Mark Suppelsa … Anchor
- Joel Grover … Reporter
- Barb Andrews
- Jackie Cooper
- Steven Cooper
- Gwen Dixon (audio id only)
- Jerry Heintz
- Elizabeth Higginbotham
- Richard Moody