Everett’s mother says he was racially targeted at the popular farm in Danvers

BY SAMANTHA CHANEY

DANVERS – A day that was supposed to be filled with cherished memories at Connors Farm turned into a nightmare for an Everett mother who claims she was assaulted and racially profiled by an employee.

Racially profiled mother

During a visit to pick apples on October 5, Nicole Pepin, 28, says she, her sister, her friend and her young children were leaving the orchard when an employee allegedly pointed them out, asking to check their prams, while letting the white families go.

When they declined the search, Pepin says things escalated when a farm employee approached them with the same request.

“My sister said ‘no,’ and at that point she took the stroller and reached out and my sister said, ‘Don’t touch my baby,'” Pepin said.

She claims the employee followed her family into the parking lot, “Telling us we were stealing, that ‘you guys always do this.’

So he said he was being racist.

“Once I said that, he took the phone out of my hand, slapped me and pushed me back,” Pepin explained. “That’s when I immediately retaliated and hit him, obviously in self-defense.”

Connors Farm responds

According to a report from the Danvers Police Department, a witness called 911 after observing the two: “They were standing close to each other and putting their phones in each other’s faces.” Based on the two videos police viewed from the two cameras and witness testimony, the officer on scene determined that the employee was the aggressor in the incident.

The officer who wrote the report also claims the property owner made discriminatory comments.

“He made comments to the effect of ‘Look at these people, look at the crowd,’ ‘We’ve got a lot of problems here,’ and ‘You could shut down half the crowd.’ It was very clear that Connors was referring to the many racial minorities in the crowd and insinuating that they were criminals,” the officer wrote.

Connors Farm released a statement about the incident saying, “Connors Farm is aware of a single reported incident regarding a negative interaction on our farm between a customer and our security staff. Please note that Connors Farm takes these allegations very seriously and is actively investigating the matter and cannot make any specific comment at this time.”

“Connors Farm welcomes all people regardless of race, national origin, gender identity, disability, religion and looks forward to continuing to serve the community,” Connors Farm said in the statement.

Pepin says he plans to file charges of discrimination and assault against the employee.