Woman goes on racist rant targeting Walmart shoppers

CENTERTON, Arkansas (KTRK) -- A woman shopping in a Walmart in Centeron, Arkansas was the target of racist comments from another shopper.

It was a normal trip to the grocery store for Eva Hicks until she turned down the medicine aisle.

"I encountered this lady that was on my way and I asked her politely, you know, if I could pass, and I said, 'Excuse me,' and she was being very hateful, immediately," Hicks told KHBS.

The confrontation was caught on camera.

Woman: Get out of here.

Eva Hicks: No I'm not going to get out of here.

Woman: Go back to Mexico.

Eva Hicks: No! No I'm not!

Woman: You're just going to stand here and argue.

Eva Hicks: No, because this is my country.

Woman: Your country?

Eva Hicks: Yes, this is my country.

Woman: This is not your country?

Eva Hicks: Oh yes it is.

Woman: We don't want you here

Eva Hicks: Yes it is, I don't care.

Manager: "That's not true, we do want you here."

Woman: We don't want you here

Eva Hicks: Oh yes it is.

Manager: That's not true, we do want you here.

Eva Hicks: I don't care what you want or not.

Manager: We do want you here.

Woman: Leave me alone.

Manager: That's not true.

Woman: Go. Go.

Hicks said the incident upset her so much because of her love for the area.

"This country has given me so much, so much opportunities for me, for my family, for my kids. It is a beautiful country. This is a free country," Hicks said.

During the incident, several bystanders and a store manager stepped in to defend Hicks.

"I felt love. I felt like, 'yes, I belong here.' There is no reason for someone to treat me less, just because my skin is different, just because I have an accent, just because I was born in a different country," Hicks said.

The unidentified woman also made comments to another woman who was attempting to help.

Shopper: Stop being ignorant

Woman: A n***** is calling me ignorant?

Hicks said she just wants to put the encounter in the past and wants the best for the other woman.

"I just wish her good, it's really sad to see somebody like that," Hicks said.

The assistant manager did ask the woman to leave the store. They also gave us this statement saying quote: "we value respect for everyone who visits our stores. We have no tolerance for the language or actions of this customer and are proud to see that our assistant manager responded appropriately by asking her to leave the store."

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