King Von’s sister Kayla B ignited an online uproar on Twitter after accusing an employee of a sneaker store of racially profiling her as she browsed. The store worker, in the widely shared online video, clashed with Kayla B, accusing the staff member of discriminatory conduct. The widely shared online incident has brought racial profiling in stores into the spotlight, though the major details are uncertain.
The incident played out when Kayla B, also known as Kayla Bennett, noticed an employee at a sneaker store trailing behind her as she shopped. On an Instagram clip, she confronted the employee face-to-face, accusing them of watching her and saying,
“Why you watching me? It’s full of white people in there. Why you’re watching me? You’re racist.”
The response from the employee was defensive, saying they could watch whomever they wished, according to WorldStarHipHop reports. The clip shows Kayla upset as she accuses the employee of racially profiling on the grounds that the employee assumed she was shoplifting. The store is unknown, and as yet there are no official reports to shed further light on the situation.
The video quickly gained traction on X, amplifying the incident to a broad audience.
“King Von’s sister, Kayla B, calls out a sneaker store employee for profiling her and following her around while she was shopping.”
casting it as an act of bravery against bigotry. The posts generated heated forums, with numerous users defending Kayla and writing about how they were unjustly observed at stores. Specific user responses, such as the number of comments or the number of likes, were not accounted for, however, leaving the extent of public sentiment ambiguous.
Kayla B, born on November 26, 1994, in Chicago, is an entrepreneur, musician, and social media influencer who has maintained a fanbase of over 732,000 followers on Instagram through mid-2024. Popularly known as King Von’s sister, Kayla has established an independent identity through her fashion brand, True Fashion Boutique, and music drops such as Bad Mood and Quarantine Love.
After King Von’s November 2020 tragic death, Kayla has spoken publicly in his defense, defending his legacy and criticizing perceived injustices. A controversy magnet, Kayla has publicly argued with celebrities such as Asian Doll, Cuban Doll, and Sexyy Red regarding personal and professional situations. Her history of criticizing officials, including accusing the mortuary of releasing the photos of the autopsy of her brother in 2020, is in line with the response to the occurrence in the sneaker store.
The complaint by Kayla is symptomatic of a greater, well-documented trend: racial profiling at stores. African Americans and people of color frequently report being closely watched or treated suspiciously when they shop, as the expectation is of theft. Research, such as by the American Civil Liberties Union, indicates that Black shoppers are disproportionately stopped by store security compared to white shoppers. Kayla’s complaint that the employee shadowed and neglected others is echoed by these accounts. Without the employee’s account as well as store protocols, though, one cannot ascertain whether the conduct was racially motivated or standard loss prevention procedures. The incident points to the tension between security and the potential for them to be misinterpreted as discriminatory.
There are several gaps in the narrative that prevent full knowledge about the incident. The sneaker store made no public response, and the involved employee did not comment, leaving the sole account by Kayla. The failure to provide information about the store location or other evidence, such as surveillance videos or witness accounts, makes validation of the circumstances difficult.
It is also not known whether Kayla made an official complaint or whether the store is investigating. These open questions highlight the necessity for transparency to determine whether the employee acted on bias or misjudgment.
