'Racism isn't funny:' Milwaukee woman asks for accountability from Oak Creek car dealership after racial slur was printed on her sticker

 

OAK CREEK, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Milwaukee woman is demanding an Oak Creek car dealership "be better" after she claims she was a victim of racism after an appointment last month. 

Makayla Starks first dropped her vehicle off for a complimentary oil change at Kunes Buick GMC in January.

When she picked her car back up, everything seemed fine. But hours later, her phone began ringing with several calls from the business.

"They were saying that a technician misplaced a tool under the hood of my car in the engine bay," Starks told CBS 58, noting that they then asked for her home address to retrieve it.

But when she checked for herself, nothing was found.

“While I was working, I got a text message from someone claiming to be a Kunes employee that was saying that there was really no tool in my car, that they were making an attempt to remove the oil change sticker," Starks said. 

That's when she noticed the N-word printed and typed out on the comment section of the sticker.

"I was just kind of in shock," Starks recalled. "It was heartbreaking."

In a now-deleted Facebook post, the dealership confirmed they fired the employee responsible, but noted the racial slur was supposed to "be a joke" to another coworker.

“Regardless of intent, racism isn’t funny at the end of the day, and it shouldn’t have ever been typed up," Starks said. “When you’re a victim of that, it is just devastating every time. I don’t think it gets any better.”

Starks said her oil change light is still on, and after the appointment, she doesn't have access to the vehicle's safety feature menu. 

“It makes me question what type of work environment and what type of work culture and values are really going on behind closed doors at this company," Starks said. “People of color deserve to be treated in the same way that white folks are treated.”

Moving forward, Starks said she hopes the dealership continues to hold those responsible accountable, and that there needs to be sensitivity policies, plans, or training to ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else.