Recently, Mary Martinez was told that it was illegal to breastfeed her baby by security guards inside of a Michigan Target store. When she refused to leave, store security called the local police, who confirmed that what the woman was doing was 100% legal. While both of these acts were certainly inappropriate and offensive, an article from One Penny Sheet sums up the actions that led to this story getting national coverage:
When contacted by Detroit’s Fox affiliate, Target’s corporate headquarters said that breast-feeding is allowed in their stores, but “This specific situation escalated to a point where we were concerned for the safety of our guests, so law enforcement was called.” Are you kidding me? How on earth does feeding a baby “escalate” to a safety issue for other customers? Target’s corporate spokesperson does understand that when you give a quote to a media outlet, other people will end up hearing it, right? And also that words mean things?
With a little bit of smart crisis management by the corporate office, this story could have been kept at an entirely local level. Now, because of a poor response, it’s snowballed into a national spectacle.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/