Last July, Micquel Jackson was thrilled to open his clothing store, a long held dream put on pause due to struggles with mental health, illiteracy and addiction. He opened the business intent on sending a message of love, acceptance, and community, but instead has found himself in receipt of the opposite, targeted several times for the color of his skin.
In the over six months since The Guy Girl Code Inc. opened, Jackson says he has experienced racism on a weekly basis, ranging from glares to comments to physical destruction of his property. The La Crosse Police Department has been contacted on more than one occasion following incidents at the store, located in Valley View Mall, and supporters have taken action on Jackson’s behalf.
Members of Hope Restores, a local organization which works to empower the Black community, and local advocates have written local officials regarding the hate Jackson has been subjected to, calling on them to help him understand his legal options and to show their support following the most blatant act of racism at The Guy Girl Code Inc. thus far, which occurred last month. What happened, says Melanie Banks of Hope Restores, “is an example of a modern day hate crime.”
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On Dec. 11, Jackson was working when a man and his teen and adult children entered The Guy Girl Code Inc. The man, Jackson says, waited until other customers had left before beginning his verbal harassment. After insulting the items displayed, the man grew more belligerent, referring to Jackson as a “monkey” and taunting him, offering bananas and sunflower seeds if he would close up shop and leave town.
“My arm went numb, I was enraged, I was devastated,” Jackson recalls.
According to the police report, filed Dec. 16, the man also made reference to firing off rubber bullets and calling the store an “(expletive) show.” The man’s children, Jackson says, began pulling items off of hangers and yanking off tags. Jackson, upset and shaken, swore at the group and told them to leave.
Jackson believes there were political motivations behind the attack — Mandela Barnes, he notes, is running for Senate — and that the family sought out his store with the intent of provoking a response out of him which would reflect badly on him as a Black business owner.
Jackson took video on his phone following the incident, pointing out damage and explaining what had happened. A member of mall security confirmed to police that when he walked by the store he noticed Jackson was “visibly upset” and “pacing around the store.” Jackson spoke with the security employee about what had occurred and was informed to alert them if the customers return.
Per the police report, “Further follow up is required in identifying the suspect(s) regarding this incident, questioning them and issuing a citation for disorderly conduct.”
Mall manager Jeff Odom confirmed receipt of a phone message and email request for comment from the Tribune on Jan. 13. However, as of 4 p.m. press time Jan. 22 he had not offered a response to questions including whether there are mall policies on racism or harassment against store owners, if the mall is conducting an independent investigation, or if additional security has been provided for The Guy Girl Code Inc.
Followers of The Guy Girl Code’s social media, and supporters of Jackson, believe they were able to track the suspects to a family in Iowa, one member of which wrote a negative review of the store and claimed her father said something about prices in a joking manner. Jackson responded to the review in a post, noting in part, “You guys came in and verbally abused me, you ordered me around the store and then asked me, did I want bananas and mentally tortured me for 8-10 minutes. ... I was in fear for my life. ... It was a horrible experience.”
In addition, Jackson wrote, “Why can’t we all just get along, it’s about to be 2022. We have to break this cycle. I’m going to pray for you like I told you I would as I was escorting you out of the store yesterday. We educate the future in my store and racism, hate, disrespect and bullying will not be tolerated inside The Guy Girl Code.”
Tashyra Jackson, Hope Restores co-founder and sister of Micquel, notes in the letter sent to local officials including Sen. Brad Pfaff and Rep. Steve Doyle that the incident left her brother “shaken and frustrated — it’s a story I hear over and over. The community who walks through our door is living proof there is a need to stand strong against the racial discrimination in La Crosse.”
Contacted by the Tribune, Pfaff’s office stated, “Senator Pfaff spoke with Mr. Jackson as he often does when a constituent reaches out with concerns.”
Steve Doyle stated, “As Tashyra Jackson requested, I spoke with a few lawyers at Johns, Flaherty and Collins after receiving the letter. A lawyer from my firm spoke to Tashyra Jackson at my request, and that conversation is ongoing.”
“While this is the probably the most aggravated and heightened incidence of this happening, this is not an isolated incident,” Tashyra says.
The recurring instances of racial profiling have left Jackson with lasting trauma, he says. He has been open on The Guy Girl Code Inc.’s Facebook page about his initial distrust of white men, fearing they enter his store to harass him. In several posts, Jackson notes he has passed judgment before recognizing the person was a kind individual.
“God please forgive me for assuming ... every white man that walks in the store now (is racist),” Jackson wrote in one post.
Jackson previously contacted police about a man allowing his service dog to repeatedly relieve itself in the store, and says he often sees parents discourage their children from going his store. He also describes an incident in which a woman — who entered in “attack mode” — indicated the store’s name showed support for transgender people, which she took issue with. The name, she said, promotes “gender confusion” and suggesting alternates. She then inquired why Jackson had Black Lives Matter shirts, asking, “Why don’t white lives matter?” and broaching the issue of class.
When Jackson informed her he was filming the encounter on his phone, her tone changed dramatically, he says, and she began offering praise.
“The amount of privilege, and how that can be accompanied with ignorance — I can’t imagine going into (another store) and suggesting (alternate) names,” says Tashyra. “In my experience, being a shopper if I go into a store and I don’t like something I simply don’t shop there. So we are witnessing something where they feel like it’s OK to come in and interrogate and antagonize. No other store is experiencing that. Suddenly it’s not OK for him to have made it as far as he has as a business owner, to be able to run his own store — that’s the issue here. Why is this not happening anywhere else? He can’t be there in peace.”
The hate-fueled encounters go against everything Jackson wishes to promote — inclusivity, support, awareness — and he says, “I don’t know how to stop this stuff, but it has to get stopped. In my head I’m programmed to believe it will never change.”
Adds Jackson, “I’m actually thinking about shutting down shop and going to a bigger city. But why should I have to go to a bigger city? I’ve been here 22 years and it’s home. I did this to make a difference in this community right here. I have a past but I’ve been righting my wrongs. I paid all my dues to be there, to be an entrepreneur. I don’t know what else to do. “
Banks says the persistent racism may discourage other Black individuals from opening establishments, and if Jackson were to close The Guy Girl Code Inc. it would be a detriment to the community — “The store is so remarkable.”
Banks praises the QRL codes throughout the store which shoppers can scan for resources and spark conversations, calling them “progressive ways to educate people that Jackson wants to reach. It is outstanding. It would be a huge loss to have this man be so discouraged to not even continue what he’s doing.”
Jackson recently added a sign to The Guy Girl Code Inc.’s window, stating, “We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone! Racism, hate, bullying and ignorance will not be tolerated not matter who you are or who you think you are.”
Tellingly, Jackson notes, no other store in the mall has needed such signage.
“I feel embarrassed and ashamed I have to do that. I’m the only store saying, ‘Please don’t be this way with me. Don’t be this way with my space. Just give me a chance,’” Jackson says. “I’m just trying to make a living and make a difference at the same time. It’s a whole different kind of humility when people got to walk past and read that and then look at me.”
Places of the past: The early years of Valley View Mall in La Crosse
Valley View Mall: Construction underway
Valley View Mall: View from the early 1980s
Valley View Mall: 1985 list of stores
Valley View Mall: Sears courtyard
Valley View Mall: Skylights
Valley View Mall: Sears
Valley View Mall: Kinney Shoes
Valley View Mall: Kids toy store
Valley View Mall: 1980 list of stores
Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.