Caribou employee apologizes for post about Somalis

A Caribou Coffee supervisor in St. Cloud, Minn., has apologized for a Facebook post in which she described herself as a “racist against Somalis.”

“I’m racist,” Rachel Teigland wrote on Aug. 14. “I want them all sent back to Somalia.”

She alleged that a friend had been murdered by someone of Somali background. Teigland also said that when she was a child in school, her classes were interrupted by Somali translation. She wrote that the interruptions “impacted my learning.”

The post has been widely circulated on social media since it surfaced four days ago.

In a follow-up post on Facebook, Teigland said her comment has “falsely accused the Somali community of being violent and hateful.” She wrote that she has “caused an incredible amount of pain and heartache to an undeserving minority who already have to overcome so much discrimination.”

She also said she and her family had been harassed online because of the post. “Two wrongs do not make a right,” she said. “I was very wrong but there is a reason vigilante justice is not legal.”

In an email statement, Caribou Coffee said it’s investigating Teigland’s comments.

“These statements do not align with our core values of commitment to guests and communities,” said Caribou Coffee spokesperson Bri Bauer. “Her comments of condemnation to an entire community do not reflect Caribou Coffee values.”

Bauer said Teigland’s employee status “has been handled internally,” but declined to elaborate. “We are not at liberty to discuss employment status of employees,” he added.

MPRNEWS