A driver for the grocery delivery service Instacart allegedly smashed an elderly couple’s groceries and left a nasty note on their receipt because of their yard sign supporting the local police department.
The incident reportedly took place in Blaine, Minnesota. According to a Facebook post written by a relative, the elderly couple ordered a “carefully budgeted” $50 of groceries to be delivered to their home last Sunday.
“This past year has been a rollercoaster of heartache and big life changes for them. Money is tight. Vulnerability is high,” wrote Amber Gray.
Nothing was amiss until they went outside to meet the driver, Tara, for fear that she might struggle with her vehicle in their snow-covered driveway. When they opened the front door, Tara yelled at them to check their Christmas wreath while rocking her vehicle back and forth in the driveway.
At first the couple thought she might have been stuck, but then they read the note she had allegedly written on their receipt: “Instacart doesn’t pay employees sry [sic] find another slave f– the police racist pigs.”
Upon looking for their groceries, they found them smashed up in the driveway.
All because of their yard sign that reads “thank you Blaine P.D.”
“These people are two of the most beautiful, generous, loving souls I’ve ever known,” Gray said. “Tara probably doesn’t know how carefully those $50 in groceries were budgeted for. Or how devastating the recent medical diagnosis has been. Or how scared and vulnerable her vile act of hatred made them feel.”
“Supporting law enforcement doesn’t make you a racist. And it absolutely doesn’t give anyone the right to destroy your things or shatter your sense of safety.”
Gray, who asked people to read and share her post, is hoping that Instacart and the Blaine Police Department are able to hold Tara accountable.
“I pray that [Tara] never knows the kind of pain and fear she caused,” she said.
Evan Stambaugh
Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
