PK Shader, a 70-year-old Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin lady, was left with two black eyes after a verbal argument with a 17-year-old Walmart clerk. Unfortunately, it all started innocently enough at the customer service counter, when Shader gently inquired whether another checkout lane could be created because there were only two available and both had lengthy waits.
Shader’s plea was not well received by at least one cashier. As stated by the elderly woman, the young employee, Jazareia Velasquez, 17, started shouting at her and asked whether she wished to work there. Shader, taken aback by the employee’s behavior, requested to speak with her management. “Do you let her talk like that to all of your customers?” Shader was curious.
Shader claims that the manager said nothing, so she chose to report the cashier to headquarters. When she didn’t see a nametag, she took out her phone to take a picture for identification. That’s when she claims Jazareia Velasquez lost her cool and began punching her in the face, leaving her with two black eyes.
According to Shader, it wasn’t the worst of it. What surprised her the most was that no one intervened to aid her during the event, despite the fact that other staff were apparently aware of Velasquez’s attitude. Shader was forced to dial 911 herself.
Jazareia Velasquez was detained and later charged with aggravated violence on an elderly person and disorderly behavior. That hasn’t made PK Shader feel any better, as she has now come out to urge anybody who observes a similar occurrence to intervene and aid in any way they can, even if it’s simply recording the situation or calling the cops.
PK Shader suffered head and face injuries but did not require emergency medical assistance. Who could fault her for being shocked and concerned by the terrible actions of the young Walmart clerk and those who observed the incident but did nothing?
This was a terrible and intolerable circumstance for anybody to be in, yet particularly for an old woman to be in. A simple query should never lead to a verbal argument with an employee, and a verbal argument should never lead to a violent attack. Passers-by should not disregard such an attack either. The fact that PK Shader had to phone 911 herself tells a lot about Walmart, its employees, and its customers.
In a society where practically every individual has a phone with them at all times, it’s incomprehensible that an old woman can be continuously hit in the face by a teen with no one even bothering to call for aid. While it’s understandable for individuals to be cautious to engage in a physical conflict, I’m not sure how anyone could see such an interaction and not contact the cops. After all, most of us would wish to do the same if we were the target of such an assault. Is the Golden Rule being ignored?
