News article here or here
You can also read about it on a few breastfeeding blogs, here and here.
What is not mentioned in the articles is that according to the Mary Martinez, the security guard lied about public breastfeeding being illegal and then identified himself as a police officer. Last time I checked, impersonating a police officer was a crime. Edited 12/3/09 to clarify timeline
UPDATED 12/3/09: I also want to point out that Mary says she was nursing discreetly and was fully covered. For me, personally, it doesn't make a difference, but I realize that for others, it might.
Now if this was just an incident of an overzealous ignorant employee, I wouldn’t be this upset. What upset me was Target Corporation’s statement on the issue:
[the] situation escalated to a point where we were concerned for the safety of our guests, so law enforcement was called.I sent Target an email notifying them that until they issued a formal written apology to Mary Martinez and reprimanded the security guard at fault, I would be boycotting Target and encouraging everyone I knew to do the same.
Target sent me a disappointing, though not surprising response stating that they have “a long-standing practice that supports breastfeeding in our stores.” But included that “This specific situation escalated to a point where we were concerned for the safety of our guests, so law enforcement was called. We regret the incident in our store and will continue to provide a shopping environment that respects the needs of all guests, including nursing mothers.”
When asked about what escalation Target was referring to, Ms. Martinez said,
“There was no escalation, that is why I wanted them to retract and amend their statement. [The target representative on the phone] apologized, and admitted Target's wrong doing; I want a press release stating so.”
Seems reasonable to me.
I responded back to Target with another email restating my boycott.
This is no isolated incident either. Target stores have a history of trying to kick nursing mothers out. The corporate statement always claims that they support breast feeding in their stores. If this is true, maybe they should actually notify the store management.
If you think Target is out of line, let them know!
Target Corporation
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Call Guest Relations at (800) 440-0680 (7a.m. to 6p.m. CT, Monday through Friday)
Email guest.relations@target.com
I am really disappointed with Target's response. While it is still unacceptable, I can see individual employees not understanding the legal rights a nursing mother has. I am extremely angry with the corporate response, however. I think I will be writing them a letter, and until they show remorse for how this customer was treated, I will be spending my money elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Wendy. The corporate response was what really upset me too. Thank you for reading, and thank you for your support!
ReplyDelete