S.F. mom, school rally after Black fifth-grader accused of stealing at Safeway
FacebookTwitterEmail
11-year-old Ja’Mari Oliver was stopped at the Safeway in the Castro when a security guard accused him of stealing a sandwich.Scott Strazzante / The Chronicle
Ja’Mari Oliver walked into the Safeway on Market Street to buy a sandwich for his lunch, which he would eat at school for the first time in more than 14 months.
He was excited early on April 26 about seeing friends that day and feeling proud that his mom let him go into Safeway in the Castro neighborhood by himself.
The fifth-grader paid for his meal at the deli counter and headed out to meet his mom. Before he made it to the door, two security guards and a store employee stopped him, and questioned whether he had stolen the items.