Mother says she was racially profiled at popular apple picking spot

Popular apple-picking spot, Connors Farm, has been receiving backlash after recent guest Nicole Pepin spoke out about how she was racially profiled and assaulted. 

When leaving the Conner Farm orchard a female employee allegedly singled the family out, she asked to check their strollers while letting the white families pass by and leave. When Pepin said no to a search she says things escalated fast. 

When a male employee approached them again with the same ask Pepin explained “My sister said ‘no’, and at that moment, he yanked the stroller and pulled her hand.”

The employee then continued to follow Pepin’s family to the parking lot. “Telling us that we were stealing, that ‘you people always do this.” Pepin then says he was being racist.

“Once I said that, he yanked the phone out of my hand, slapped my hand down, and pushed me back,” Pepin explained. “That’s when I immediately retaliated and hit him back, obviously out of self-defense,” Pepin says she is ready to press charges.

The officer’s report on the incident claims the owner also made discriminatory statements. In the report, the officer wrote, “He made a comment to the effect of ‘Look at these people, look at the crowd’, ‘We have plenty of problems here,’ and ‘You could lock up half the crowd’.”

Connors Farm released a statement about the incident, “Connors Farm welcomes all persons regardless of race, national origin, gender identity, disability, religion and looks forward to continuing to serve the community.”