On September 29, 2025, an encounter between a CVS employee and a Black teenager in North Charleston, South Carolina escalated into an unnecessary police response and an arrest.

The CVS employee falsely claimed the teen had threatened her with a knife — a claim that was proven untrue when no weapon was found. Despite this, the teenager was handcuffed, charged, and humiliated in public. Video of the arrest shows bystanders shouting that the teen had done nothing wrong and that the employee’s accusation was baseless.

The facts are clear:

No knife was ever found.
No staff were harmed.
The employee exaggerated a situation and escalated it by calling 911.
The teen was subjected to racial profiling and criminalization simply for existing while Black.
This is not just about one employee’s poor judgment — it’s about a corporation that allows employees to weaponize emergency services against Black youth without accountability. CVS has a responsibility to protect the communities it profits from.

We, the undersigned, demand that CVS:

Immediately terminate the employment of the worker who made the false 911 report.
Issue a public apology to the teenager and his family.
Implement mandatory anti-bias and de-escalation training for all CVS employees nationwide.
Review and revise store-level protocols for handling alleged disturbances to prevent racially biased 911 calls.
No young person should be criminalized because of ignorance, bias, or lies. No corporation should stand silent when injustice occurs inside its stores.

It is time for Justice Before Profit.

-Justice Before Profit