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A Connecticut woman said an out-of-control man verbally assaulted her as she was breastfeeding her baby at Target. Jessie Maher told WFSB that the man told her that she could not breastfeed in the cafeteria of the store. In a Facebook post, she said the man said, “That’s **** disgusting.. You are nasty.” He also called her a “whore,” according to the woman. Maher said after he started going nuts, she began recording the man with her phone’s camera.
“Because I am feeding my baby this man is going crazy and I’m shaking,” Maher could be heard saying in the video she later posted on Facebook. Apparently, the man wanted a refund from the restaurant because she was feeding her baby. Several other customers came to the new mother’s aid, and surrounded her so the man couldn’t get close.
“This is a beautiful moment. If he doesn’t like it, he can go,” one woman can be heard saying in the video.
“The amount of people coming at me to defend me was amazing. Everyone right in that area was there for defending me, so it felt really good,” she told the local television station.
The video has since gone viral. Connecticut law expressly allows mothers to breastfeed their babies in public places and the workplace. The law is enforced by the Connecticut Commission on Human Right and Opportunities, which enforces anti-discrimination laws. It is unclear if Maher has filed an official complaint.
Watch her interview here:
WFSB 3 Connecticut
Target released this statement to WFSB:
“At Target, we want all of our guests to feel comfortable shopping with us. Our breastfeeding policy, which applies to all stores, is just one of the ways in which we support our guests. Guests who choose to breastfeed in public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable.”