RALEIGH, NC (RNN) – A credit union employee’s desk décor sparked a racism complaint.
An black customer took offense to “Walking Dead” toys on the desk of a white employee at a branch of the State Employees Credit Union, WNCN reported.
In a post to Facebook, the woman described noticing "a black doll with a noose around its neck and hands tied behind its back" and that she asked him what the doll meant.
She said the financial services representative told her he collected them.
When she replied that she found the doll offensive, she said the employee asked, "In what way?" That’s when she said she left the room "and went straight to the receptionist and asked for his boss!"
The woman's complaint involved a Funko Mystery Mini figurine, which depicts a zombie from “The Walking Dead.”
The character is a black man who has become a zombie and has a chain around his neck.
In the series, a black female character named Michonne kept two of the armless zombies to keep the other zombies away.
The SECU employee responded on Facebook, posting a picture of the toy.
"Apparently a story about a strong female character of color and overcoming adversity is offensive," he wrote in the post.
The man also had another figurine from the same Mystery Mini line depicting Carl, a white teenage boy from the TV show.
The employee also posted comments indicating he intended to identify the customer by name.
The threat prompted a lot of online criticism. He later deleted it.
The fate of the employee is uncertain, but SECU Executive Vice President Leigh Brady said “immediate steps” were taken to address the issue.
"State Employees' Credit Union prides itself on the fair and equitable treatment it provides its members, and takes its members' privacy seriously,” Brady said. “… the actions of one of our employees fell far short of our expectations ..."
Brady said she could not comment on what actions were taken.
Neither the customer nor the employee could be reached for comment.
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