A famous farm in Massachusetts has apologized to a Black family after they were racially profiled and falsely accused of stealing six apples at a farm during an apple picking event for Labor Day.
Rev. Manikka Bowman, a Cambridge School Committee member, visited Connors Farm in Danvers, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jeff Myers, and their children for a fun family day out. As they started to wrap the apples they picked from the orchard, a farm employee walked over to them and said that they had taken "too many apples."
Bowman, Myers, and their kids were then escorted to a building, where they were interrogated about stealing fruit. One of the farm employees allegedly asked to check what was inside Bowman's bag.
The mother said that she didn't realize one of her kids picked six more apples than the allotted number of pieces by the farm until they were heading out, so she placed these in her purse. She thought that they would be able to pay for everything at the checkout. Instead, the workers accosted the family and accused them of stealing six extra pieces.
Police Called on the Black Family
During the "interrogation," Bowman and Myers asked to speak to the manager, but he was already part of the staff who detained the family. So, they asked to talk to the owner, but the manager called a police officer.
The officer, however, sided with the staff and viewed them as thieves. He also said that the family was "playing the race card" to get out of their fix.
Bowman said the manager didn't even acknowledge that they were paying visitors despite seeing that they had the usual farm-issued bands on their wrists. They also had other items that were paid for before they started apple picking.
"We told them repeatedly, we were coming here to buy more stuff," Myers said, but he was rebuffed by the manager who told him that it was his job to prevent stealing.
Following the incident, however, Connors Farm wrote an apology on their Facebook page and stated that they regret the incident. The statement also indicated that the farm would take steps to let their staff "undergo diversity, equity, and inclusion training," which was one of the family's requests.
The town also issued an apology for the comment made by the police officer. According to Boston.com, the council received a letter from the couple who detailed what happened to them at the farm. Danvers Town Manager Steve Bartha, Danvers Police Chief James Lovell, and Dutrochet Djoko, the town's Human Rights and Inclusion Committee Chair, jointly signed the apology statement.
Black Family Accepts Apology
Meanwhile, Bowman and Myers wrote on their blog site that they are grateful for the support from families, friends, and the public. They hope that this will be a "learning opportunity" for many people, especially those involved.
The family was also refunded the donation they made to the farm, which was supposed to be the education fund they provided for the community. The money will now go to the Essex County Community Foundation, a racial equity advocacy.
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