“I feel like it was a message,” Devondrick Hartsfield said. “It was very intentional. I was the only Black man there.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — Video of a backpack hanging by a noose is at the center of a civil lawsuit filed by a former delivery driver who worked at a North Texas hardware store.
“I was traumatized,” said the driver, Devondrick Hartsfield, who believes the noose was placed to intentionally target him. “I feel like it was a message. It was very intentional. I was the only Black man there. I felt dehumanized. I was scared. I felt like it was a threat.”
Hartsfield said the noose was discovered on June 19, 2023 — Juneteenth — at his job at the Van Marcke Ace Hardware store on West Lamar Boulevard. He said he took photos, contacted human resources, and followed up with an email.
In the lawsuit, Hartsfield states that he and a coworker walked into the warehouse when the coworker pointed and said, “hey, look up,” drawing attention to the noose.
Although Hartsfield reportedly told his employer about the noose, he continued to suffer from the incident, he claims.
“I was thinking that night when I went to bed, that in the morning, it was going to be gone,” Hartsfield said. “But it wasn’t. It was still there on the 20th, when I returned to work.”
WFAA contacted Ace Hardware by phone and email, but has not received a response as of publication.
Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith, who is representing Hartsfield, said he was stunned when he heard what had happened.
“I was in shock. I couldn’t believe it. And I needed him to say it again,” Smith said. He also noted the significance of the incident occurring on Juneteenth, especially given his personal connection to activist Opal Lee.
“She’s stood her whole life for people who’ve gone through things like this, when her family went through things like this,” said Smith. “Miss Opal is a gem who came from Fort Worth, and she really gave this country Juneteenth, a time to celebrate the end of slavery. You know, she’d be angry, but she’d also be a happy warrior. She’d take on the fight.”
The lawsuit claims that after Hartsfield reported the noose to management, he was suspended without pay and was never reinstated.
“It’s torn me apart physically, emotionally, financially,” said Hartsfield.
The lawsuit is seeking monetary relief of more than $1 million, or whatever a jury determines to be fair.
“Racism hasn’t gone away,” said Smith, adding that he hopes the case sends a strong message about accountability and workplace fairness.