Woman Claims Walmart Locks Up Black Beauty Products In Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

A woman has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit Friday against Walmart in Califonia because it allegedly kept African American products locked away in a glass case.

Essie Grundy, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred, filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court in Riverside County after she accused Walmart of locking up black beauty products behind a glass case. Employees told Grundy that she needed to be "escorted" to a cashier to pay for the products, Allred said in a news conference.

Grundy, 43, said she went to the Walmart in Perris, California, to purchase body lotion by Cantu, when she noticed all the African American products were behind a glass display case, The New York Times reported. Each time she visited the store, she said she was forced to ask an employee to unlock the product.

"When I walked down the aisle and saw that Walmart had placed all of the African-American hair and skin products under lock and key, I had to pause. I was in shock," she said during a news conference.

She added: "I felt that I was being treated as a person who might be a thief, even though I have no criminal history. I never want my children, or anyone else’s children, to experience what I did at Walmart that day."

It was unknown the exact amount Grundy was seeking in damages. Her lawsuit called for Walmart to end its policy of "segregated" beauty supplies and included a request for a personal apology.

"I just feel that we need to be treated equal,” Grundy said, according to KTLA. "It’s no way that we should be treated, just because of a complexion. We are all human and we deserve to be treated as everyone else."

The nationwide retailer issued a statement on the matter.

"We’re sensitive to this situation and also understand, like other retailers, that some products such as electronics, automotive, cosmetics, and other personal care products are subject to additional security," the company statement said, according to The New York Post. "Those determinations are made on a store-by-store basis using data supporting the need for the heightened measures. We take this situation seriously and look forward to addressing it with the court."