Camilla Hudson wanted to use a manufacturer’s coupon at CVS on North Broadway on Friday night, but a manager who said he’d never seen a coupon like that called the police, she said in a Facebook post.
“So, THIS just happened: I had the police called on me for attempting to use a coupon @ the CVS Pharmacy located at 6150 N. Broadway in Chicago!” Hudson said in her widely shared Facebook post.
In the video, the manager, identified as Morry Matson, is seen shaking as he speaks with police on the phone. While describing Hudson to police, he calls her African-American to which she responds “I’m black. Black isn’t a bad word.”
Matson is running for 48th Ward alderman. One of his campaign promises is “increased police presence throughout Alderman Matson’s 48th Ward.” According to his aldermanic campaign website, he was a state delegate for President Donald Trump in the 2016 election and is president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Illinois, a group advocating for LGBTQ conservatives.
Hudson said in her post that there were three officers who showed up in response to Matson’s call, and she spoke with them before leaving the store. Chicago Police could not immediately respond to confirm.
“We sincerely apologize to Ms. Hudson for her experience in one of our stores. Our Region Director in Chicago contacted Ms. Hudson as soon as we were made aware of this incident. CVS has begun an investigation and we will take any corrective action that is warranted to prevent it from happening again,” CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said in a statement. “CVS Pharmacy does not tolerate any practices that discriminate against any customer and we are committed to maintaining a welcoming and diverse environment in our stores. We have firm non-discrimination policies in place to help ensure that all customers are treated with respect and dignity. Profiling or any other type of discriminatory behavior is strictly prohibited.”
Hudson said in a Facebook message that CVS regional director Joe Haas ‘‘apologized profusely’’ after the incident. She later wrote that Facebook had taken down the original viral post because it violated a policy, but she-reposted the video.
Matson did not respond when the Sun-Times reached out to him on Saturday.
