D.C. City Councilmember Calls Safeway Cashier Incident “Unacceptable,” Demands Response
An incident involving a supermarket, a D.C. gay couple, an epithet and an apology grabbed the attention — and the Twitter feed — of a member D.C. City Council this evening.
D.C. City Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) reacted today to news that a gay couple had been called “faggots” over this past weekend by a cashier at the Safeway grocery store at 1100 4th St. SW, located in his ward, by taking to Twitter and calling the incident “unacceptable.”
Referencing Metro Weekly‘s report from earlier in on June 15, Wells wrote at a little before 9 p.m., “Unbelievable and absolutely unacceptable. I expect and await an official response from Safeway ASAP.”
Hours after Metro Weekly reported on Jason Morgan and Brendan Harrington’s story, a local D.C. resident, Andrew Kloman, went to the Safeway store where the incident occurred and videotaped the cashier apologizing.
As of midnight on Thursday, June 16, the Safeway Eastern Division public affairs office had not responded to a Metro Weekly inquiry seeking comment. When speaking to Metro Weekly, the manager at the Safeway store, Michael Bigelow, declined to comment, referring questions to that office.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
