Naperville Woman Says She Was Racially Profiled By Jewel Worker

NAPERVILLE, IL — Naperville resident Denise Dawidowski likes flowers. She often arranges them for display in her living room and dining room. On Mother's Day, Dawidowski went to Jewel-Osco on 95th and Route 59 to buy roses for her mother, and she tells Patch she was the victim of racial profiling.

Dawidowski told Patch there was a line of five or six people waiting in the floral department at Jewel to have their loose flowers arranged. Instead of waiting, she decided to arrange them herself on an empty table out in the open, something she says she and others have done at that Jewel in the past.

“This isn’t against store policy, per the assistant director and director of that store. I want to make that very clear,” Dawidowski said, adding that people arrange their flowers or have them arranged by store staff before paying for the bouquet.

While she was arranging the flowers, Dawidowski said an employee came up to her and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Arranging my flowers," Dawidowski said.

She told Patch the employee then asked her "Did you pay for those?"

Dawidowski said she was taken aback by the question. "I said, 'Hi, how are you? Happy Mother's Day,'" she told Patch.

According to Dawidowski, the employee then got into her personal space and said, "You can't do that; it's a pandemic."

"It's a pandemic and you're not even standing six feet away from me," Dawidowski said she responded.

She said she started to realize she was the victim of racial profiling and told the employee she was going to record her. Dawidowski said the employee responded by saying repeatedly, "That's what YOU do" and began to reach over Dawidowski to grab the flowers and other items.

Dawidowski's 19-year-old daughter, who was present, then asked the woman what she meant by "you." Dawidowski told Patch she felt this was meant as a racist comment. She said that "as a black woman who has been discriminated against plenty of times with that word and with other words.”

Dawidowski says she asked the woman to stop touching her. After filming the employee and getting into line to pay for her flowers, Dawidowski said the employee returned after having called the store's assistant director over and pointed Dawidowski out to the assistant director.

Dawidowski says she told the manager, "I’m glad you’re here because I need to speak with you," before explaining, "Your employee touched me," at which point the employee walked away.

Dawidowski told Patch the manager was understanding of the situation, but the employee returned and asked him to call the police.

Dawidowski told Patch she asked why the police needed to be called and the employee said, "I’m calling the police because she was recording me and I want that recording.”

According to Dawidowski, she then left the store and the employee followed her out and tried to get her license plate number. It was then that Dawidowski began recording the employee again.

"If you don’t want to be called out, stop following," Dawidowski said. She added that she said, “I have to record you for my own protection.”

After the incident, Dawidowski said she reached out to the store director, who told her a representative from the worker's union would contact her. Dawidowski said she waited two weeks for someone from the union to reach out, but never got a call.

Dawidowski said she called the corporate office and was told that they were not aware of the incident. According to Dawidowski, the employee still works at Jewel, and she has not been made aware of any disciplinary action toward the employee.

“They have not taken any action, and I am not happy about it," Dawidowski said. “You do not allow anyone to touch anyone without permission."

“This would be unacceptable if this was done to [someone of] any race,” Dawidowski said. But, she added, "It screamed racism to me. I feel like I was racially profiled. You don’t just walk up to some white woman and ask, 'Did you pay for that?'”

A protest was held on Dawidowski's behalf at the Jewel-Osco store Saturday.

“[Racism] almost becomes like a normal thing and there are times when you’re fed up and you want to fight and there are things that you just let go,” Dawidowski said.

“As a black woman there are many things I have let go,” she added.

She's hoping that Jewel-Osco will take action and stand by the anti-racism claims they make online. She's hoping for something to change instead.

Dawidowski said, "We keep sweeping these things under the rug.”

She added, "My mother was at my house and I just wanted to have [the flowers] arranged so I could give it to her when I walked in the door.”

A representative from Jewel-Osco did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment at press time.