Incidents of people being racially profiled in public spaces have become increasingly common in recent years, and many of them have sparked widespread debate online. While a significant number of high-profile cases have involved law enforcement or federal immigration authorities, racial profiling does not always involve police or government agents. In some situations, it plays out in everyday places that people generally consider neutral or safe, such as a mall. In this case, a Texas woman says she experienced racial profiling while visiting a mall outside her home state. According to her account, she and a friend decided to stop at the mall while traveling. Nothing seemed unusual at first, until a mall security guard approached them and told them they needed to leave the property. Confused, the Texas woman asked why, only to be told that she and her friend were “on the radar” for being known shoplifters.
The woman immediately disputed the claim, explaining that she was from Texas and had never been to that mall before. She said she had no idea how she could possibly be identified as a shoplifter at a mall she had never visited. The mall security guard responded that it did not matter where she was from and insisted that they leave anyway. When the Texas woman pointed out that they were holding items they intended to purchase, the guard said that was fine, they could pay for the items, but they still had to leave the mall immediately afterward.
As the exchange continued, the woman tried to defend herself and asked for more information. The mall security guard became dismissive, telling her he was not there to argue and only wanted them gone. The Texas woman then asked to see the photo or image the mall had that supposedly identified her as a shoplifter. She wanted proof that the person flagged by the mall was actually her.
At that point, the security guard brought them to the mall manager. According to the woman, the manager explained that she had received a call from an employee who said the woman was “on the radar.” The Texas woman demanded to speak directly with the employee who made the accusation, asking how they had identified her and why they believed she was a known shoplifter. When that request was denied, the woman said she informed the manager that she intended to sue the mall over the incident.
After the story was shared online, reactions were intense. Many people expressed shock that a Texas woman could be accused and removed from a mall without evidence, especially when she said she had never visited that location before. Some commenters were quick to label the incident as racial profiling, criticizing both mall security and mall management. One user said, “Straight up profiling.”
Others suggested there could be more to the situation. One commenter, claiming to be a former retail employee, speculated that factors such as a large empty bag or the possibility of a nationwide facial recognition system used by some mall retailers could have triggered suspicion. The same commenter acknowledged that racial profiling was still possible, but argued that retail loss prevention often relies on multiple indicators rather than a single factor.
