Black Couple Visiting Apple Farm Searched And Falsely Accused Of Stealing 6 Apples

White people are the worst!

I couldn’t tell from the article whether they stole the apples or not.

They were overheard cackling and saying "Boy, did we show that white muther fuckin' cracker Johnny Appleseed!"

They admit putting apples into their child's stroller because they wouldn't fit into the pre-paid bag. That's theft.

Watermelon, maybe. Apples, never.

This is another one of those write-ups that leaves important facts out. Were they entitled to the apples in the stroller? Did their entry fee include as many apples as could fit into the prepaid bag? If so, then if they tried to take more apples than the bag could fit then that is stealing.

I don't see the problem.

Meeeyooooooureaaaahlllll!

R6 Well the business issued a public apology so that’s acknowledgment of being wrong.

I live right next to Danvers, it’s a racist town.

This reads like some headline from medieval times. How bizarre.

The kid grabbed more apples then they could fit in the pre prepared bag and the family was heading to the cashier to pay when a security guard confronted them and then called the cops. Why not just let them pay for them like they requested instead of making a scene? It really was no big deal. Sounds like the security guard was an asshole on a power trip. And no, I don't believe for a second that a middle class professional couple paid 100 dollars for a ticket only to steal a few extra apples once they arrived.

The farm has apologized for falsely accusing them but of course Dataloungers are sniffing their little noses and saying, "That's theft."

They haven't read anything about this (not even the title of this thread, apparently) but that never stops them.

[quote]Connors Farm phoned the Danvers Police Department after accusing the Rev. Manika Bowman, vice-chair of the Cambridge School Committee and Jeff Myers, a commercial real estate director, of stealing six apples.

[quote]They noticed there were six extra apples that did not fit in their apple-picking bag and their children added the apples without their knowledge. Next, they said the apples were moved from the bag to their children’s stroller. Myers and Bowman had plans to bring the apples to the farm store to pay for the additional purchases.

[quote]Things didn’t go as planned. Instead, the farm called the police and the couple said they were approached by security guards. With no luck, security searched their bags for any fruit. According to ABC News, Bowman’s purse was searched. After explaining to the police what happened, the couple said the police accused them of “playing the race card.”

[quote]The farm apologized Thursday (September 9), agreeing to participate in diversity training for employees...

I guess no black or middle class professional people in the history of the world have ever stolen anything. It is literally impossible for a person of color to be a thief.

$100 and they're making a huge deal about 6 apples? All this bad publicity too. Not worth it for a couple dollars' worth apples.

The practise is called scrumping.

Over the years I’ve stolen more apples that I can remember or count, right from the boughs.

I have to drive through Danvers to get to work and it has the most trailer parks I’ve ever seen in Massachusetts. And it’s not like bumfuck, it’s 30 minutes away from Boston. But you’re on the highway in Danvers and you think you’re in Alabama or Florida with all the trailer parks. Some of them are really gross.

R13 is seconds away from telling us that the farm knows these two were evil colored thieves but the PC thought police FORCED them to APOLOGIZE to the BLACK THIEVES who THEFTED THOSE APPLES.

R15 Bet you never paid 'over $100' for the privilege of scrumping. lol. Btw, cider made in the West of England is called scrumpy (I only know this because the one and only holiday I had as a kid was a camping weekend to Bristol). I also grew up in a rural area.

These places always deal with people who take more than their bags or baskets can hold, they must have had a procedure in place, and it was probably even posted. Something like "take more than your bag can hold and you'll need to purchase a second bag for $10" or something. The last pumpkin farm I went to had a limit but also a policy posted for those who took more than the limit.

[quote] Well the business issued a public apology so that’s acknowledgment of being wrong.

That’s almost never true. Businesses apologize with any claim of racism, as the perceived better option for dealing with people who make these kinds of claims.

But they did have the extra 6 apples! They said they knew it, but shrugged them off, attributing their presence to their "enthusiastic" kids!

The place is selling apples, not letting kids pick and go! Why is this couple outraged?

[quote] $100 and they're making a huge deal about 6 apples? All this bad publicity too. Not worth it for a couple dollars' worth apples.

If theft did occur, the staff may have naively thought they could treat them the same as they would other people.

I understand the argument of "Why would they pay $100 to steal 6 apples?"

But it's the flip side of "Hey, for $100 what's another 6 apples to ya, Bud?"

R22 Weell.. do they call the cops on other people? I agree I'd love to know more about this. Did the couple agree to pay for those apples? Does this place really call the actual cops on white people who say that their kids put 6 apples in their stroller?

[quote]They said they knew it, but shrugged them off

They didn't shrug it off, you're outright lying about that. They were stopped by security as they were headed to the shop to pay for the apples plus other stuff.

100 dollars!!!?????

and a brouhaha about 6 apples?????

The security guard should be FIRED - what an asshole.

The article indicates that “According to AP News, a manager then called the police when the couple insisted someone give them the contact information for the owners of the farm.” So the police were not called initially, but only after it had escalated.

"it's NOT 6 apples, they steeaaaalin"= dataloungers who return obviously worn and used goods to stores without a receipt demanding a full refund.

lol, AP News is even covering this. Amazing.

If I were that couple I would make a bloody stink about this. 6 apples?? 🍎 6 ?!

They were stealing. The farm probably should have let them pay for the apples and not called the police, though.

I’m sure the REVEREND let them know she was a VIP religious leader and that should have been their clue as to how this little charade was going to go. There’s no one more “Karen”.

They were caught stealing (big deal) but it sounds like when they became all” I want to speak with the manager” things went bad. Their kid is a thief and I’m sure they are enjoying the outcome and the attention of all this.

[quote]but it sounds like when they became all” I want to speak with the manager” things went bad

There isn't a single thing in any of the articles that even IMPLIES this.

You guys really are just making all this up, aren't you?

Honestly, even if they wouldn't pay for it, I would confiscate the apples, maybe put them on a ban list. Why call the cops? Cops have better things to do and I would feel embarrassed calling them about that. Most stores and businesses factor in this kind of cost.

Again, this couple paid over $100 even if food and drinks was included, so the business probably did not lose too much. I think this was probably racial profiling especially if the couple say that they intended to pay for the extra apples and were willing to.

R9, the business issuing a public apology is a response to the allegations of racism, given that anyone can be immediately cancelled for unsubstantiated accusations of racism these days. The business also didn't retract the allegations of stealing, they apologised for the incident allegedly being handled badly - there's no denial that this couple stole.

So if I buy $100 worth of groceries I'm allowed 6 free items.

R37, you are aware that supermarkets don't even stop shoplifters these days? They just.. let them go. Lol.

Here is their blog post and their ridiculous demands. Presumably Connors Farm will be browbeaten into bullshit "diversity, equity, and inclusion training" for their staff. This couple sounds insufferable.

[quote]This was a horrible experience for our family, and we want three things:

[quote]A written apology from Connors Farm owners

[quote]The money we spent at Connors Farm refunded in the form of a donation to the Essex County Community Foundation, with the specific purpose of supporting their racial equity work

[quote]A commitment from the Connors Farm ownership and the Danvers Police Department that their staff will undergo diversity, equity, and inclusion training

I called r36 at r17. I'm just surprised it took so long for them to show up.

Not true. I've seen many shoplifters arrested.

[quote]Presumably Connors Farm will be browbeaten into bullshit "diversity, equity, and inclusion training" for their staff.

They already agreed to it. Read a damn news article once in a while.

I doubt the 18 month old picked much.

[quote]As we were leaving the apple orchard area and heading toward the farm store, I assessed our bag to ensure the apples and peaches fit in it. I realized that our little ones, in their apple-picking excitement, had picked up a few more apples than fit in the bag. I assumed we’d have a chance to pay for the extras in our final checkout. With families being primary customers, surely, we couldn’t be the first to have excitedly over-picked by a few apples—six in our case. We planned to purchase our apple cider donuts to finish our trip with this New England tradition.

[quote]I've seen many shoplifters arrested.

Oh, come on. There have been tons of articles in recent months about shoplifters not being pursued or prosecuted, and you're saying that's all untrue because you personally see a lot of shoplifters getting arrested and carted off by the cops? Please.

Ben Crump and Al Sharpton will be all over this. Like handcuffs on a black men.

They have a 7-year-old, r43.

[quote]Like handcuffs on a black men.

Ask your supervisor to help you with verb tenses, hon. You're a low-quality troll, even for Datalounge, where standards are already embarrassingly low.

R34 doesn’t know how to read.

The extra 6 apples would have cost $4 there and they were willing to pay that? FFS, c'mon. This. Is. Racism.

$100 admission??? WTF? Do the Apples blow you? Can you shove them up your ....... Can you shove them up each other’s

R38, Thank you for acknowledging the concept here of "theft."

They were on their way to check out and pay. That isn't theft. Nor should the police be called because a customer asks for the owner's contact information.

And if you don't think racism is a problem look at R5's comment and the people who liked it.

I think r5 intended to poke fun at stereotypes and didn’t intend for it to be taken seriously.

but I personally don’t condone r5 making that kind of joke.

R53 I didn't read it that way. I visibly cringed at how racist that comment was and I'm a white person. (Not R52.)

They say they were on their way to pay but that doesn't actually mean they were, r52. They also blame the kids for overfilling the bag, as if an 18 month old picked anything and as if they wouldn't have previously noticed the extra apples and pears lying in the stroller.

Sure, this is a dumb nothing incident that was blown out of proportion and perhaps the security staff over-reacted. But something tells me that this couple themselves played a big role in blowing the situation out of proportion.

I can't see what the hell is there worth doing or seeing on this farm (other than picking a few apples) that's worth the $100 admission price?

Take a look at their home page. I wonder if that picture on the left has been there a long time, or just went up.

[quote]We then asked to get the contact information for the owner in writing. He refused. When we pushed further for the owner's information, he called the police.

The contact address is on the farm's website. Why would they need the owner's private home address?

Damn, if you look up "tourist trap" in Websters there should be a picture of that place there.

Blackenterprise.com., another medium with an agenda.

[quote]as if an 18 month old picked anything

THEY HAD A 7-YEAR-OLD, R56, YOU ABSOLUTE DUMBFUCK.

You're just gonna keep trying it, aren't you?

We need a DLer in Massachusetts to investigate this further so we can get to the bottom of this. Is there anyone here who can make a trip to the farm?

R56, the 7 yr old and 18 month old were probably playing together and the 7 yr old was doing the main work of picking. Not hard to imagine. Okay, maybe they did steal but that's not a good argument.

I don't get it, then, r52. How could they have anything "extra," if NOTHING yet has been accounted and paid for?

Did the $100 entry and picking fee carry with it a "To the top of the bag and no spill-over" rule? Were the workers told by the employer to keep a sharp eye out for "extras"?

There's some fast and loose 'splainin' going on here, Lucy.

What is this "final check-out" business? Is that what the couple means by "going to get our cider at the store," under the (alleged) assumption that they'd just put those six apples on the counter, even though they weren't from the store, and pay for them?

But weren't the apples all "picked and paid by the bag"?

Or was there an actual, all-customers exit designated as the "final check-out"?

Probably didn't need to include actual police, though. That's quite the escalation.

I just stole something from Target the other day. I don’t give a fuck.

God, we need trolldar back. r56 is an anti-trans troll on the "SJW apologizes to J.K. Rowling " thread and an anti-Democrat anti-AOC troll on the "AOC's "Tax The Rich" Met Gala gown" thread. Of course they're a racist, too.

6 extra Faberge Eggs, ok, call the police 🚔

[quote]How could they have anything "extra," if NOTHING yet has been accounted and paid for?

They paid for their entry which included the bag of apples they picked and were going to buy more stuff before they left. Have you never been to a farm like this? Are you too stupid to go look up the farm online to see how it works? They sell a lot of stuff within the farm after you've paid your admission fee.

[quote]we need trolldar back.

R66 What WE need is to get rid of the fascist thread monitors.

Connor's Farm has been in business for years. Obviously, this couple weren't the first black people to visit, especially considering that Connor's Farm shows black children in their online adverts. Definitely media agenda here.

R69 but when was that photo of Black kids added? When they apologized and said they'd be doing training?

R70 Deflection and not the point. They are not the first black people to visit the farm. It's ludicrous to shriek RACISM! except to bludgeon others with agenda.

[quote]R66 What WE need is to get rid of the fascist thread monitors.

What YOU need to be thankful that almost nobody around here bothers to use the ignore function to see the anti-Democratic, anti-vax, racist crap you post all over the place.

It's sad that you're so intellectually compromised that you think it's fascist for someone to see just SOME of the things you've posted on Datalounge. Sorry you don't have the courage of your own convictions to just admit that you're one of our right wing anti-vax trolls.

"They can't be racist, their website has a photo of some blacks on it."

Good point, R73. It was pretty much lower down employees making the calls here, even.

Putting black kids on their website reminds me of my private high school in the 90s. The very few black and Asian kids were ordered to pose for shots playing tennis, basketball, netball, in the science lab, in the library etc, for the schools advertising material.

R72 Anti-Democratic? You mean like having a mindless rant because someone dares to point out your fascist and very childish control jones. See this thread for examples.

I haven’t read the story, but something about them looks suspicious.

Don’t steal.

I'm the first to marvel that this lady's name Manikka Bowman has the word "man" in it two times?

And for the record, theft can’t happen while on location. It’s not technically theft until the person has left. If you’re working in a retail store and a woman has a baby carriage and you see items in it she didn’t put on the counter, you’d say “oh what about what’s in the stroller”. You wouldn’t say “you’ve got items in the stroller, you’re trying to steal you bitch”. Because she hasn’t stolen anything YET.

When I worked in retail, security would grab people after they’ve walked out the exit. Not inside.

They stole the apples period. Then the liberal media tried to turn the story around painting them as victims of racism. Glad people are not falling for it.

So their kids took six apples, big fucking deal! We're currently living through the greatest upward transfer of wealth this country's ever seen but someone might have tried to steal some fucking apples. And you just know the people saying, "it doesn't matter that it was only six apples, that's not the point, it's theft" give zero fucks about both Trump and Biden using the pandemic to give BILLIONS, no, TRILLIONS to Wall Street, the Military Industrial Complex, Big Pharma, the rentier class etc, but these two took SIX APPLES.

[quote]And no, I don't believe for a second that a middle class professional couple paid 100 dollars for a ticket only to steal a few extra apples once they arrived.

I don't believe this couple is guilty of anything but I don't think a working class, non-professional couple visiting an apple-picking farm and paying over 100 dollars for the experience would try to steal extra fruit, either. The constant class prejudice here is off putting.

I’m sure they let their kids steal from grocery stores and malls as well. So it’s ok to steal apples in a field but not retail goods? Now y’all are reaching. Intelligent people see the truth here.

The people siding with the security guard are pathetic. Even if they broke some type of rule regarding how many precious apples they can take for $100, calling the cops was an absurd overreaction. Too many cowards treat the cops like their own personal goons. Oh I'm having a conflict with another adult, better call the cops and escalate the situation as much as possible. The moral of the story is don't recognize the "authority" of a security guard. Just keep on walking and scream bloody murder if they touch you.

Ther written story is too vague to be able to tell what actually happened. But anyway, families with young children who go apple picking do it because it's a fun outing, not because they're "shopping". These people were not trying to steal half a dozen lousy apples -- what for? -- use your heads, people. They had their outing ruined and their pleasure destroyed because they were treated like criminals. Maybe it was racial, maybe not. But it was a mix-up, they didn't spend a day going apple picking because their goal was to steal six extra apples and they were attempting to get away with robbery. Jesus Christ.

I think I need a Datalounge break. The stupid trolling is so tiresome. And some of you probably actually are as racist as you "pretend" to be.

Christ almighty they didn't steal the apples. Boston is a pit of racism. They rioted over school desegregation. In the late 70's.

I really think it’s easier to go Safeway and buy apples.

My only issue here is why call the police? It was apple picking for fucks sake. I hardly think this is a high crime activity.

R87 - that’s actually an interesting take on what’s going on here. Probably all started by the awful actions of BLM. Good people are retaliating.

I may be FF'd for this but I don't think the Apple Farm itself or its owners are inherently racists. They, unfortunately, hired someone who's exercise routine includes jumping to conclusions. This happens a lot and unfortunately the broad brush comes out.

Not all Black people are bad tippers but because the bad instances have been publicized, this is the stereotype that persists.

R68, Actually, I have so visited a very similar farm, many Octobers . Apple-picking plus a barn store of products, among other attractions.

But carrying extra apples from the orchard TO the store, rather than buying a bushel IN the store, is what got the family stopped.

Yes, of course, six, or 6000, apples pale in any larger scheme of recent events.

Were the parents treated excessively harshly because of their race? I wouldn't bet against it.

Did they err in assuming they could pay (or not; it never played out) when they chose? According to the apprehenders, yes.

Words were exchanged. Conciliatory? Embarrassed? Heated? Challenging? Defiant? Threatening?

Police were called. Official apologies tendered. The Internet Universe is informed.

IMO, nobody involved comes out of this looking good. Nobody was "justified."

After reading this thread the only thing I have learned coming out of it, don't pay $100 to go Apple picking. I can take $10 to the farmers market and get what I need.