Police dept. faces backlash after seeking whereabouts of man accused of stealing diapers — but the department gets the last word and comes out on top



A Florida police department was facing heavy scrutiny after they shared a Facebook post about a suspect reportedly stealing diapers.

What are the details?

According to a Thursday report from Newsweek, police in Winter Haven, Florida, detailed the incident, which took place last week.

The department shared a picture of the man along with his two young children on Facebook and captioned it, "So when your card is declined and you try another one with the same result, that is NOT license to just walk out with the items anyway."

The post continued, "The guy pictured below (poor little kids had no idea) went to Walmart (7450 Cypress Gardens Blvd) on Sept. 15 around 4:30 p.m. and selected items ultimately heading to the self checkout lanes. He walks out of the store leaving the items behind. (He evidently left the children with someone outside because they are not with him the second time.) He comes back in with a different card. That card was also declined several times. BUT ... he decides to take the items anyway. He was seen entering a white SUV, possibly a Chevy Trailblazer. Anyone recognize him?"

At the time of this reporting, the post has received more than 4,400 comments — and the vast majority of the remarks are harshly critical of the police for both outing and shaming the man.

One user wrote, "I'll buy his diapers, doggone. Guess this isn't one of those PD's [sic] that see someone struggling and drops groceries off, or a car seat, or any of that made for tv stuff I've seen. He tried repeatedly to pay, he didn't have the money but had kids who needed diapers. Life's hard yall, sometimes ppl try and still come up short."

The user's comment received more than 3,900 likes in response.

Another user added, "Dude, whoever you may be and if by chance you see this, you're a good dad. Doing whatever is necessary to take care of your kids when the situation called for it."

That particular user's remarks garnered more than 1,900 likes in support.

"Wow," another user mused. "[Y]'all are so 'brave' for shaming and over criminalizing this incident, the amount of money spent on searching for this guy could have just gone to making sure his kids have food and resources? Just a thought."

Others, however, said that the man was not exempt from being held accountable just because he was in need.

"So now it's okay to steal 'necessary' items? I need gas for my vehicle to get to work and food during the day so I'm entitled?" the user asked. "That's calling evil good. If you think he needs help, stand by a register and start paying for 'necessary' items for others."

Another user wrote, "Really surprised to see so many people commending this guy for stealing diapers. Seeing a lot of people saying that he's doing what he needs to for his children, however store bought diapers are a convenience that we take for granted not a necessity."

What else?

The department on Thursday addressed the controversy in a separate Facebook post, writing, "We know everyone is enthralled with the case of the Walmart shopper who walked out without paying after three attempts with three different cards. We did receive a tip of his identity this morning and we made contact with him. We also have been speaking with Walmart and they have signed a waiver of prosecution, meaning no charges will be filed."

The department noted that they delivered this information to the unnamed man, and even went as far as to personally offer him assistance in order to make ends meet.

"We delivered this news to the citizen. We also told him of numerous resources available to include the Police Department," the post added. "We offered assistance and he declined assistance."

The post concluded, "Thank you to all of the caring citizens offering help."

Man steals diapers, wipes from Winter Haven Walmart — now Facebook users want to pay for them www.youtube.com

Trans woman accuses TSA of being 'transphobic': 'Going through the scanner, I always have an "anomaly" between my legs that sets off the alarm'



A video of a transgender woman is going viral after recalling a recent experience in an airport with the Transportation Security Administration.

What are the details?

Model and content creator Rosalynne Montoya recently shared an experience with social media users and insisted that TSA is transphobic.

Montoya, according to Buzzfeed, is an Arizona-based, Hispanic, bisexual, nonbinary transgender woman. She was recently traveling from Phoenix to Los Angeles to visit her boyfriend.

When she arrived at the airport, Montoya said she was subjected to humiliating treatment at the hands of TSA.

"Can we talk about how horrible it is to travel while being transgender sometimes?" Montoya asked in the now-viral video, which has been seen by at least 18 million people at the time of this reporting. "I always have immense anxiety leading up to going through security. And this means that I totally recognize the privilege of having all of my documents correct. So, the gender marker on my license, for example, says 'female.'"

"But, going through the scanner, there's a male scanner and a female scanner in the TSA checkpoint," Montoya continued. "And, looking at me, you know, I look like a woman and I am a woman. So, that's great. I love having systemic privilege when I feel unsafe, which is in an airport. But, going through the scanner, I always have an 'anomaly' between my legs that sets off the alarm. And so [a female TSA agent] asked me if I had anything in my pants and I told her 'No' and she's like, 'Well, maybe it's just like the metal on your shorts, so let's scan you again.'"

Montoya said that she went through the scanner a second time, only to be told that she needed to be patted down.

"So, I was like look, I'm trans. Just pat me down. And her solution was, 'Do you want to be scanned as a man instead?' I didn't. But, I ended up doing it and then my boobs set off the scanner because, of course," she continued. "So, I tried to make a joke out of it. I was like, 'Oh yeah, there's a lot of plastic in there! It's fine.' So then she was like, 'OK, well we have to pat you down. Do you want a man to do it?' I said, 'No! Absolutely not.'"

Anything else?

After her experience, Montoya said she felt "dysphoric and disrespected."

"In the future, I will be signing up and paying for TSA pre-check before my next flight to hopefully prevent this from ever happening to me again, but I shouldn't have to take this extra step in order to feel safe while traveling," Montoya added.

According to the outlet, Montoya said representatives from the TSA headquarters have reached out to her and want to have a conversation with her on Friday.

TSA is Transphobic | Rose Montoya www.youtube.com

Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images

Trader Joe's employee goes viral after saying he was fired for asking his CEO to ban customers who refuse to wear masks. The store says not so fast.



A Trader Joe's employee says the company fired him after he reached out to the company's CEO calling for stricter COVID-19 safety protocols in his store, including banning customers who repeatedly refused to wear masks inside the company's store.

What are the details?

According to a CNN report, Ben Bonnema, who worked at a New York City Trader Joe's location, said that he wrote an email to company CEO Dan Bane on Feb. 26 urging him to improve the store's air filtration system, refuse entry to anyone without a mask, and implement a "three strikes" policy for customers who are repeat offenders of the mask rule.

A portion of Bonnema's email read, "I was recently shouted and sworn at by a customer who would not wear his mask above his nose, despite [Trader Joe's employees] already asking him to do so. He was allowed to finish his shopping and check out."

He added, "The ADA requires that we offer reasonable accommodation, which we do by offering to shop for them. If they refuse, we should not let them in."

Elsewhere in the email — which he shared on Twitter — Bonnema said, "We put our lives on the line every day by showing up to work. Please, show up for us by adopting these policies."

He also said that the company ought to be following health experts' advice — such as those at the Centers for Disease Control — on tamping down the risk of COVID-19 spread inside its stores.

"We should be following the guidelines of scientists who study respiratory transmission," Bonnema's message added.

He also shared what he said was his termination letter on social media.

A portion of the letter read, "In a recent email, you suggest adopting a '3 strike policy' against customers and a policy enforcing the same accommodations for every customer with a medical condition that precludes them from wearing a mask. These suggestions are not in line with our core Values. In addition, you state that Trader Joe's is not 'showing up for us' without adopting your policies."

The message added, "It is clear that you do not understand our values. As a result, we are no longer comfortable having you work for Trader Joe's."

trader joe's just fired me for sending this letter to the ceo, saying i don't share the company values. i guess adv… https://t.co/rPQ69EzhlE
— Ben Bonnema (@Ben Bonnema)1614377118.0
@TraderJoesUnion here's the letter they gave me https://t.co/BeYmopbmJ3
— Ben Bonnema (@Ben Bonnema)1614383291.0

What has the company said?

Kenya Friend-Daniel, a spokesperson for the company, told CNN that there was "misinformation" surrounding Bonnema's firing.

"Store leadership terminated this Crew Member's employment because of the disrespect he showed toward our customers," Friend-Daniel insisted. "We have never, and would never, terminate a Crew Member's employment for raising safety concerns. We encourage all Crew Members to take an active role in store safety, and share their suggestions with leadership."

Friend-Daniel also told BuzzFeed News that Bonnema worked at the store for just a short time.

"Nothing is more important at Trader Joe's than the safety of our crew members and customers," she said. "During his short tenure with Trader Joe's, this crew member's suggestions were listened to, and appropriately addressed. Store leadership terminated this Crew Member's employment because of the disrespect he showed toward our customers."

The outlet reported that Benjamin Dictor, a lawyer representing Bonnema, said that he and his client were looking to obtain an order from the National Labor Relations Board demanding Bonnema's "immediate reinstatement."

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Dictor said, "Mr. Bonnema's spotless employment record with the company is only further evidence that the company's decision to terminate him from his employment was an unlawful attempt to threaten, restrain and coerce Mr. Bonnema and his coworkers from engaging in protected concerted activity. Mr. Bonnema has a federally-protected right to advocate for the workplace safety of his colleagues. Terminating him for doing so is reprehensible."