I am a victim of discrimination at a local pharmacy. I went in to the pharmacy because I was upset that they were not answering their phones. They kept picking it up and then putting me on hold for a long time. They kept on putting me on hold so therefore I went to the pharmacy and complained. The manager approached me and was became rude. I told him I use to work in the pharmacy and he said he does not care. He was very rude and accused me of being there just for "free stuff". He said he knows "my type". When my medicine was filled and in a technicians hands, the manager took the prescription and refused to give it to me. He kicked me out of his store. I told him I would call the District Manager and that he would be sorry. He embarrassed me in front of the staff and customers, also accusing me of trying to get free stuff as well as taking my medicine away. I left in tears. I called the DM and told him everything. An hour later the manager called to apologize. He said that when he saw me, prior to approaching me he had his mind made up about me. He admitted it to me. I told him that just because I am of south Asian descent, that does not mean he has to right to treat me like this. I don't think an apology is enough. What can I do? Can I file a suit against the pharmacy? What are my civil rights?

Regards,
Anna

Hello engrshahrukh,

I am assuming you live in the UK and if so the law is very strict with regard to racial discrimination.

If this happened to you I feel you have every right and I would urge you to report this person for for racially discriminating against you, especially in front of staff and customers alike.

If this happened to me an apology would not have satisfied me.

Not being too sure of how the law stands with regard to discrimination, my advice is to first contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). The CAB are extremely helpful and knowledgeable about this kind of thing. Also anything you say to them will be held in the strictest confidence. It is a completely free and unbiased service

You can also consult a solicitor. The first consultation in the UK is normally free. If you pursue a claim using a solicitor, it could be quite expensive unless you qualify for Legal Aid.

I recommend you see the CAB first.

If you go to the links below you should find out a lot more information about Racial Discrimination:

Welcome to the Commission for Racial Equality

:cool:

Be comforted by the fact that not all we Brits or the rest of the world discriminate against people, no matter what their race, colour, creed, sexual orientation, or religion, or indeed age.

Good luck and I hope this has helped you.

Cy
(Poseidon)

Thanks for your advice. However, I live in Texas, USA.

Regards,
Anna

Hi again engrshahrukh.

Thanks for letting me know where you live.

I am sure the USA is just as concerned about discrimination as the UK and I feel sure you will get good advice from the subscribers of this site.

If you do have any organisations in your area similar to the CAB in UK, I would certainly contact them.

Again good luck

Cy

Actually the laws are a lot more vague, and in Texas ( and I say this from expereince) if you are a women, that is about 1/2 your trouble to start with, When we lived in Texas, the would not rent my wife a house, at first because I was not there yet, the man at the car repair shop called me at work to be sure it was OK to put tires on our car since he wanted me to say it was OK, not the "little wife". And the list goes on and on and on. Women in parts of Texas hold a place just a little less than the oil fields and the cows.

Next lets be honest, you were mad and most likely went in and was telling them how to do their jobs, while people don't like that it is human nature, so if you were telling them they were wrong, they wanted to give you hell getting your medication. And in the end, to be honest, a store can refuse service to anyone if they so desire.

I doubt you can prove with solid evidence that this was done for race.
These are very hard cases, you can start by contacting the state EEOC office.

As Fr. Chuck said, proving that you were treated this way because of your race is going to be very difficult if not impossible. Maybe the manager is prejudiced against south Asians but proving it is next to impossible. You can maybe prove that he's a rude and ill-mannered a$$hole but that doesn't make him a racist. What exactly were you trying to accomplish when you went to the pharmacy? Certainly having a prescription filled is a routine matter and one that should be handled with little fanfare. Why did the situation become so complicated? I wonder if maybe there's more to this story then you're telling us?