An alleged discrimination incident, caught on video at a Washington credit union earlier this month against a Muslim black woman, ignited a social media firestorm of outrage from thousands demanding that the employee involved be fired.
On May 5, Jamela Mohamed walked into the Kent branch of the $1.4 billion Sound Credit Union to pay a bill. She was wearing a hood because Mohamed said she was observing Jummah, a congregational prayer that Muslims hold every Friday around noon.
A teller asked her to take off her hood because of the credit union's policy that requires members to remove their hats, hoods or sunglasses inside the branch for their safety.
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Mohamed said she ran outside to retrieve her hijab, a traditional scarf worn by Muslim women to cover the hair and neck and sometimes the face.
However, after she returned to the branch, Mohamed began taking a video with her smartphone presumably because she said two men who were wearing hats were served by tellers with no issues. However, the video that Mohamed posted shows one man wearing a baseball cap walking out of the branch, and another man, also wearing a baseball cap, standing in line. It is unknown whether the men took off their hats while being served by tellers, or whether they had been asked by tellers to remove their hats.
Although Sound CU declined to comment about Mohamed's specific version of events that occurred in the branch, it has been reviewing the video that was posted on social media, according to a Sound CU prepared statement.
"As a credit union, we believe in equal treatment for all. We are revisiting our procedures and training to do everything we possibly can to prevent a situation like this from happening again," Sound CU said. "Our training will continue to emphasize empathy and sensitivity to all cultures. Our management team is actively investigating the incident to gather all the facts and circumstances. Until a full investigation is complete, we cannot comment further about the individuals involved. Updates will be released on this page as they become available."
Mohamed said she confronted the teller.
"He told me 'it should be no issue, let me get my supervisor for permission,'" Mohamed wrote on a Facebook post that included her video of the events that followed.
"If you don't take your hood off, I'm calling 9-1-1," an unidentified Sound CU supervisor stated with a raised voice, standing a few feet from Mohamed.
"Can I go ahead and get my money back?" Mohamed asked.
The supervisor ignored her question and stated, again, with a raised voice, "1, 2, and 3." The supervisor then slapped her hand on the teller counter and walked back to a desk to apparently call the police.
"And what's the reason why you're calling 9-1-1?" Mohamed asked as the supervisor was walking back to a desk. The supervisor also made other comments that were unintelligible.
With her smartphone recording the incident, Mohamed walked back to where the supervisor was standing behind a desk making a call.
"I wanted to know that supervisor's name," Mohamed said.
When Mohamed walked up to the desk, the supervisor, pointing her finger at Mohamed, said, "You have to take your hood off."
"What's your name?' Mohamed asked.
"My name is Suzanne," the supervisor said.
"OK. Thank you, Suzanne," Mohamed said.
The next part of the video shows Mohamed in her car crying. She claimed the supervisor "came outside after me."
"[She] literally followed me outside and I feel so embarrassed right now," a weeping Mohamed said. "And there she is."
According to the video, Mohamed stepped out of her car and shouted out to the supervisor, "Ma'am, am I endangering your safety? Am I endangering your safety?"
The supervisor also said something, but it was unintelligible.
It was unknown whether police were involved or arrived at the scene.
Soon after Mohamed posted the one and a half minute video on her Facebook site, hundreds and then thousands of comments of outrage, including allegations of discrimination, racism and hatred soon followed. Many demanded that the supervisor be fired.
As of May 10, there were more than 2,500 comments posted and the video had more than 670,000 views. The video was also shared by more than 7,300 Facebook users.
Sound CU posted three statements on its Facebook page about the incident, and two of those statements, including the comments, were removed by the credit union. In total, more than 300 comments were posted by Facebook users who read the credit union's statements.
In its first statement about the incident on its Facebook page, Sound CU stated that it was looking into this situation.
"As a member-owned credit union, we absolutely believe in treating everyone equally," the credit union's social media post read.
After the credit union posted that statement, it was followed by 80 comments, many of them expressing anger about the supervisor's action and calling for her termination.
The next day, Sound CU posted a second statement, "We looked into the situation and agree that we did not handle the situation well. We want to express our deepest apology to the member. As a result, we are looking at our procedures and training and will make changes to make sure that a situation like this never happens again. It is clear our training needs to include more empathy and sensitivity to all cultures, because as a credit union we believe in equal treatment of all people."
Soon after this statement was posted, the angry comments, some from Sound CU members, kept coming.
It seemed many people were not buying Sound CU's apology and demanded that the supervisor be fired.
"FIRE SUZANNE," Marianagela Abeo declared in a Facebook post. "Your apology to calm the waters and try to stop people from taking their money out of your bank is disingenuous considering nothing has been done to make Suzanne accountable for her using her managerial position to spread her own personal hate. Until then, we will continually share this and raise our voices, and those of us that were patrons of your bank, will cease to be, Period."
Cedric Brothern questioned whether Sound CU employees needed any additional training to ensure this type of incident would not happen again.
"How much more training do your employees need?" he questioned. "We all know right from wrong and it is time to stop hiding behind this PC corporate shield. Enough is enough. I have served the public over 26 years of my life and would not allow anyone regardless of [their] position treat a customer this way. Your credibility as an organization is hanging in the balance as to how you manage this situation."
Some people were shocked by the supervisor's attitude toward Mohamed.
"I think what was most upsetting was hearing the tone of voice used by the employee … it was a very angry tone," Karen Moore wrote.
"Counting to 3 like she's a child?!" Brie Miller wrote. "Following her into the parking lot & harassing her in her vehicle. Suzanne needs to be fired immediately."
Some people criticized Sound CU's policy of requiring members to take off their hats, hood and sunglasses. In the credit union's Kent branch by the teller station, a sign reads: "For Your Safety: Please remove hats, hoods, sunglasses. Thank you."
"You need to change that policy and take down that stupid sign," Sound CU member Robin Burke wrote. "Taking off head covering doesn't make the customer safe. Shame on you. I regret being a 30+ year member."
Others were upset about the alleged discrimination.
"The discrimination was blatant," Beth Reis wrote. "White men wearing hats were served, despite your posted policy. And even if they had been made to remove their hats, an exception MUST be made in your policy for religious garb."
After posting its apology statement, Sound CU removed it and the nearly 100 comments. The credit union then posted a link to a press release statement. The release stated that the management team is actively investigating the incident to gather all of the facts and circumstances.
"Until a full investigation is complete, we cannot comment further about the individuals involved," the credit union stated.
Nearly 120 people, some of them members, said an apology would not mean anything unless the supervisor losses her job.
While the vast majority of comments criticized the supervisor's actions and the credit union, there were very few comments that supported Sound CU.
At least one person said Sound CU had nothing to apologize for and another person questioned why Mohamed failed to follow the credit union's policy.
"This may upset people, but the issue is not with anyone else in the credit union, the only issue is between her and the credit union only," Jaime Morehead wrote. "There was a large sign clearly printed for all to see and is legal. I have seen other banks enforce same rules legally. The fact that she had a head garment on that violated their rules that had been boldly stated prior to her approach, [and] then she went back out to purposely exacerbate the problem and continued to cause a scene after repeated requests by the management, the customer has no grounds for lawsuit based on that issue. She could have pointed out to the management that some other employees were not enforcing their policies and those employees need to be addressed because it could jeopardize the safety of all others."
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