James Conley III, a former University of Northern Iowa football player, was racially profiled at an Old Navy store in West Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this week. Conley used Facebook to document his experience in a video that has received over 109,000 shares and 12,000 likes.
Today I was racially profiled by the Old Navy store in West Des Moines, Iowa in Jordan creek. I was accused that I didn'…Posted by James Conley III on Tuesday, January 30, 2018
The store manager said the employees were operating on store protocol and that anytime someone enters wearing store product they need to be scanned to confirm the item has been purchased. Conley knew this wasn't true and said he will not release a public statement until he consults with legal representation, according to the Des Moines Reporter.
Signs on the store doors mention its closure but provide no information of when it may reopen. Liz Nunan, a spokeswoman for the company, said its parent company, Gap Inc., has a zero policy and an investigation is underway.
"We are a company made up of diverse people — from all backgrounds and cultures," Nunan wrote in a statement. "We encourage diversity in thought, celebrate diversity in each other and demand tolerance and inclusion, always."
