A Target shopper in Ohio thought that she was getting over when she demanded that her $1,000 bill be comped by the store as reparations but instead received a knuckle sandwich from a loss prevention officer with the punch to the head being captured on surveillance video which has gone viral on social media.
The incident went down at a Target megastore in Blue Ash, Ohio in October with the newly surfaced video showing the woman, identified as 37-year-old Karen Ivery, who was in the checkout line badgering the team member who rang her up for reparations, the whacky but popular idea that white people who have never owned slaves must financially compensate black folks who were never in bondage.
During the increasingly testy exchange, Ivery allegedly repeatedly bought up reparations, spurring a manager to get involved before the irate customer was escorted off the store floor and into the office area.
It was in the office where she continued to act in an aggressive manner until she was coldcocked by the security staff member, 28-year-old Zach Cotter who claimed that he acted in self-defense, telling police that Ivery “charged” at him.
(Video: The Daily Mail)
According to a police report on the incident that was reviewed by the New York Post, the cashier alleged that Ivery continued to bring up reparations during their checkout encounter before a manager arrived.
The customer continued to demand reparations as the manager attempted to de-escalate the increasingly ugly situation, and at one point she walked “aggressively” toward the manager as she grew angrier.
“Ivery kept berating her about reparations and her privileged life,” the report states.
At one point, Cotter intervened and tried in vain to calm her down before she allegedly started screaming at the loss prevention officer and stalked after him to his office. It was then that she forced her way in and got blasted in the face, going down hard to the floor.
“I told her she needed to back up or leave. She started charging at me,” Cotter told police. “I came all the way back into my office, into an enclosed space, and I hit her in the face. I have it all on video.’
Authorities determined that Ivery was the “aggressor” after they reviewed the surveillance footage of the encounter and she was then arrested.
“Ivery was confrontational with officers on the scene and didn’t want to explain her actions,” the report states, according to the Post.
In a bodycam video of the incident posted to YouTube, Ivery told police that she demanded that the cashier call the manager “so we could have a larger conversation about how money works, and how the provision works, and how it’s been working in our community in a very wrong way.”
“This is my Rosa Parks moment,” she said, referring to the civil rights icon.
Ivery was sentenced to a day in jail and fined $110 for disorderly conduct, according to the Daily Mail.
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