‘Are you following me?’ Hilton Head tourist says she was racially profiled by security | Island Packet

A Hilton Head Island tourist says she was racially profiled by a gated community security officer while riding her bike Friday evening. Now that community — Indigo Run — is investigating.

Annette Brown was riding her bike on Aberdeen Court at The Owners Club off Marshland Road when she noticed a vehicle following her around 7:20 p.m., she said. The Owners Club is a fractional ownership regime — similar to timeshares — inside the gate of Indigo Run’s Broad Pointe neighborhood, according to Indigo Run General Manager Chip Munday.

Brown, 57, said for at least a quarter of a mile, a white truck followed 20 to 30 feet behind her. There were no bike paths, but Brown made sure to ride close to the side of the road, hoping the truck would pass her, she said.

Finally, the truck pulled up beside her and rolled the window down. Brown saw “Indigo Run Security” written on the truck’s side.

“Are you following me?” Brown asked.

“Do you live here?” the male security officer asked.

“No, I don’t live here,” Brown said. “I’m on vacation.”

Then the truck rolled up the window and drove away.

After the truck drove off, she immediately biked over to a white couple riding their bikes to ask if they had been questioned by the officer, she said. They had not been stopped.

Brown, who was staying at a villa at The Owners Club — managed by ClubCorp but part of Indigo Run’s Community Owners Association — said she was racially profiled by the officer. She is sharing her experience because she does not want it to happen to someone else, she said.

“I think everyone — no matter shape, size or where they come from — should all be treated the same,” Brown said. “The more you talk about race relations, and the more different ethnicities and socioeconomic classes interact, the more we talk about things and the better off this world will be.”

Brown, who lives in Baltimore, Maryland, said she has vacationed on Hilton Head twice before and did not have any experiences like this one. This was her first time staying at The Owners Club, she said.

Indigo Run is investigating the incident, according to Munday.

“Depending on what the investigation turns out, it could lead to a myriad of things,” Munday said.

At a minimum, Munday foresees some type of sensitivity training for the officer. But the officer, who has been with Indigo Run around seven or eight months, could have his employment terminated, Munday said.

“We’ll probably recommend that he undergo sensitivity training if it’s determined in any way that he acted inappropriately or made her feel uncomfortable,” Munday said. “(No matter) what his intention was, you have to make sure you’re sensitive to that.”

In an email exchange with Brown on Saturday, Munday apologized and said “racial profiling is not tolerated.” He said Tuesday there are no other reports of racial profiling in the community.

“It takes your breath away when you have some kind of allegation like this,” Munday said. “Because that’s not the way we are here. ... I can’t put myself in her position. All I can do is empathize and try to get to the bottom of it.”

The investigation is being led by Indigo Run’s chief of security Roger Heaton, Munday said. It is expected to wrap up Wednesday or Thursday, he said.

Heaton did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.

Brown, who retired from the U.S. Army after 28 years of service in 2010, said being singled out for being a woman and a person of color is not new to her.

“In the military, and as a woman, you always have to prove yourself,” Brown said. “There have been instances where I feel like I haven’t gotten certain jobs because of the color of my skin. And the military is a good ol’ boys system.”

Brown rode her bike to the main building of The Owners Club after the incident Friday to attempt to speak with the officer, but he never came outside. She then called Indigo Run security to report the incident.

The next day, she made a complaint with The Owners Club about the experience. Jennifer Willard, the club’s manager, apologized to Brown for the way she was treated and called the behavior “totally unacceptable,” according to an email exchange passed along to The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette by Brown.

Willard did not immediately return a call seeking comment Monday.

Brown said the president of Indigo Run’s board of directors called her Sunday and said the community will follow up with her after the investigation.