A Georgia-based family business recently accused the Cumberland Mall of discrimination after their son, who has cerebral palsy, was forced to leave the establishment for being in a wheelchair.
In an interview with The Hub.news, Qiana Crump said she was made to leave the mall alongside her husband and son, who is in a wheelchair and has limited speech, by the general manager of the mall.
The family had previously won an opportunity to vend at the mall for three days during All-Star Baseball Weekend.
When they arrived to set up for their time, the Crumps claim they were abruptly approached by General Manager Chris McCoy, who gestured to another mall employee to ask if she wanted the table placed at an angle. The mall employee responded by asking Qiana to place the table straight, which was promptly done.
Although McCoy and the coordinator had seen the family on more than one occasion as they walked around to approve the vendors’ setups, no concerns were initially expressed, according to Qiana. They were then approached by the event coordinator, who asked one of the parents to return to the hotel with their son and take turns vending.
When Qiana pointed out that their son is 32 years old and that the situation felt discriminatory, McCoy came down the escalator to speak with the family. Although her husband, Demond, explained that their son, Demond Jr., is part of the business, McCoy reportedly told the family that they could leave and “file whatever complaints they want to file.”
“ABSOLUTELY NO EMPATHY was displayed from Mr. Chris McCoy, the person representing the Cumberland mall,” said Qiana told us. “We have no other way to look at this other than it was only the optics of how the mall would look with our son behind the table this weekend.”
“There is a human being inside this body that you see. He, Demond Jr., loves and enjoys being outside, traveling, and attending events and concerts,” she added. “This day was a day he anticipated because he understood he was going to an event.”
In a statement, representatives for the Cumberland Mall apologized for the situation, claiming that the issue stemmed from a miscommunication and inviting the family back to the establishment.
According to the family, however, although McCoy eventually called to apologize, he had over 40 minutes to do so, as they were packing up to leave, with the apology serving only as an attempt to spin the narrative.
The family’s social media post about the situation has garnered massive attention. On Instagram, the post has garnered over 56,000 likes.
“As a mother, I am his voice, my husband is his voice, his sisters are his voice, his family and friends and people around the world are his voice,” Qiana told The Hub News. “We have received an overwhelming response from strangers extending their concern and empathy for what Demond Jr, has experienced. We are GRATEFUL for you ALL!”
The family is now expected to take legal action, having already retained an attorney.
