Erika Martin regularly tries to help out the homeless population whenever she can. That last time that she tried to, however, she had the police called on her while feeding a homeless man outside of a store in Mountain View, California.
Mountain View Safeway employees reported a possible theft involving Martin, who never entered the store. After arriving, police were able to determine that no crime occurred.
Martin regularly helps out the homeless in her community during her free time, giving them care packages. “It makes me feel good, you know,” she told KPIX.
She also regularly lends a hand to one man who frequents the Safeway off Shoreline Boulevard in Mountain View. “That day I decided to give him dog food for his dog,” Martin told the news station.
Out of nowhere, she was suddenly surrounded by police.
“The police just blocks me in. I’m like, ‘what’s going on?’” Martin said.
Martin told KPIX that Safeway workers thought she was conspiring with an African American man and that a group of kids were also shoplifting and bringing items to her car.
But Martin wasn’t wearing the shirt reported to police. She was wearing a religious shirt instead and claims she was listening to gospel music and talking to her sisters who had just dropped off items to a homeless man.
Martin believes she was racially profiled in the incident.
“Racism still exists,” she told KPIX. “I blame the Safeway employees and for them to do something like that to me is just hurtful and shameful. I am not going back to that Safeway ever,”
