I like to think that our society has progressed by being tolerant of people of different races, backgrounds and sexual orientations, but somehow racism still seems to be alive and well. Take for instance Vine user Rashid Polo, an African American teen who noticed that he is constantly followed by employees in convenience stores under the assumption he is going to steal.
Unfortunately I've had a firsthand taste of this myself and know exactly how he feels!
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When I was a kid, I would always stop by the convenience store on my way home from school. I noticed in one particular store the owners would target people who were anything but Caucasian or Asian. They would follow me around and did a terrible job of being subtle about it. It was evident that they thought I was going to steal, which I found ridiculous since my parents taught me better than that. However, you can't expect ignorant people to know this. Well, they lost a customer!
So I was able to relate with Polo's Vine videos which captured the exact moments he was followed around whenever he entered a convenience store. It's sad to see that we still have to face this type of discrimination, but it's the world we live in. Polo says his only crime in all of this is "shopping while black" as he catches employees sneaking up behind him like clockwork making sure that he isn't stealing from the store.
In one instance, the employee at the store makes it completely obvious that she is checking up on him and walks away in embarrassment. It's both funny and pathetic at the same time, which is why you have to see it for yourself.
Check out the videos below:
Image via Rashid Polo/ Vine.com
