A Chicago CVS employee called the police on a black woman who tried to pay with what he considered an invalid coupon. It’s one of the many terrible stories we’ve gotten involving videos of white people calling the cops on people of color, most famously Barbecue Becky. And thus, we have Coupon Carl.
Camilla Hudson had received a manufacturer’s coupon to spend on “any disposable incontinence product.”
If you’ve never had one of these coupons before, it’s issued by a manufacturer in response to a defective product.
The retailer is supposed to take the coupon and then send it to the issuing manufacturer for reimbursement. In this case, the coupon was issued by First Quality Retailer Services, purveyors of fine products for babies, feminine hygiene and adult incontinence.
According to Hudson on Facebook, “the manager on duty said that he’d never seen a coupon like the one I had and said that he thought it was fraudulent.”
Now, before we get to the police-calling part of this story, we should at least note that retailers are within their rights not to accept a manufacturer’s coupon. But, of course, consumers are within their rights to ask for a manager’s name and report them to higher-ups if they feel they’ve been mistreated.
According to Hudson, one manager was rude and walked away, slamming a door in her face. The other manager, Morry Matson, said that if Hudson didn’t leave, he would call the police.
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Which is what he did.
Matson looks visibly agitated in the video, shaking as he’s on the phone with the police.
Probably because he’s being filmed and knows he’s about to be famous.
Hudson said she decided to film Matson not because they wouldn’t accept the coupon, but because of how he did it. She told Block Club Chicago: “He was nasty, he was unprofessional, he was dismissive, he was accusatory — his entire tone and demeanor was offensive and problematic.”
Within hours, Matson had earned the nickname “Coupon Carl,” and information about his background began spreading online.
Matson is the president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Illinois, a conservative LGBT advocacy group. He is (or was) running for Alderman of the 48th Ward, which is basically a city council position.
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I say “was” because his website, CitizensForMatson.com, has since been taken down and replaced with a holding page with empty links.
But Matson’s past, and allegations of racism, get a little murky here.
Matson has been a vocal advocate for expanding access to Chicago’s Rogers Park. But a move to get that proposal on the 2016 city ballot was stalled after it was found that Matson had forged some of the required signatures.
It’s surprising to learn that part of Matson’s platform on his now-removed website is to end what he claims is racially-motivated restrictions to keep African-Americans away from the lakefront.
He even wrote a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions about it, singling out “restrictionist voters” who don’t want African-Americans coming to the area. He also claimed a proposed infrastructure project violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.
So, while Matson’s call to the police at CVS may very well have been racially motivated, there’s certainly evidence that he’s advocated for the rights of the African-American community in the past.
Be this as it may, Matson has hidden all of his public social media and has not responded to any press looking for comment. CVS released a statement on Twitter, saying that it had fired Matson and the other manager, and that they do not tolerate any practices that discriminate.
The #CouponCarl hashtag has been everywhere and people online are not stepping up to Matson’s defense.
Karen Lee Carter wrote: “a simple phone call to the manufacturers phone number (800# on coupon) instead of a racist call to 911 would have cleared up your lack of knowledge about its validity. Hope you lose your job you fraudulent racist.”. Keinan Briggs tweeted: “For a grown man to be that terrified of a black woman is scary. My input: Grade schools need to replace some classes with courses like ‘Cultural diversity, Logical thinking, and Interpersonal communication.’”
What do you guys think? Was CVS right to fire “Coupon Carl”? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending
