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By Marni Rose McFall
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A nonprofit employee was investigated by police after a video went viral online showing a woman question a Target worker for wearing a Charlie Kirk t-shirt on the store floor.
Enloe Health said police were investigating a post on the employee's personal social media account that the healthcare organization said it was "deeply concerned about."
Chico Police Department in California released a statement confirming an investigation into a "video circulating online depicting a verbal confrontation inside a local business."
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In a further statement later emailed to Newsweek, the Chico Police Department said that after a "careful review of the available facts and speaking with the Target employee involved, we have determined that the actions of the woman recording the video do not meet the threshold for criminal acts."
In response to a request for comment on this article, Enloe Health shared a statement from Mike Wiltermood, the company's CEO and president, which read in part "Enloe Health acknowledges that the off-hours behavior by a medical assistant employed in one of our outpatient clinics, as depicted in a recent social media post, was abhorrent and deeply concerning to our caregivers, our organization, and our community. The Target employee who was verbally accosted in this post deserves significant credit for handling the situation in a calm and collected manner."
Newsweek contacted Target, via email outside of regular working hours on Wednesday.
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Why It Matters
The assassination of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth movement, on September 10 sparked outpourings of grief, deep concern about political violence, and debates about free speech and Kirk's views.
Kirk’s legacy remains a point of division in America, and the response to the deaths of public figures at a moment of deep polarization have become a lightening rod in modern politics.
Vice President JD Vance has encouraged people to report those who may be celebrating his killing to employers. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump faced criticism on both sides of the political aisle for remarks he made, and later doubled down on, about the death of director and Democratic figure Robert Reiner.
What To Know
In the video, since reposted and viewed millions of times on TikTok and X, a woman can be heard asking out of shot, "Why the f*** would you wear that?," "Are you f***ing stupid?" and "You support a racist?" At one point during the exchange, the employee on camera responds "I'm sorry but I'm not going to stand here and argue with you over it" and tells her "have a nice day."
Enloe Health said in a Facebook post on Tuesday night that they are "deeply concerned about the tenor of this post and the response it is creating from individuals of all political persuasions."
It added that calls are "overwhelming" its switchboard "impacting our patients’ ability to reach clinical staff."
Neither Enloe Health or, the Chico Police Department provided a description of the video in question.
Videos circulating online feature a watermark of the TikTok handle @motherofballers, an account that features the name Michelea Ponce. The account was set to private early Wednesday morning.
Screengrabs of a Facebook profile under the same name and listing Enloe Health as their workplace have also been widely shared. The account appears to have since been deleted.
Ponce has not been named either by Enloe Health or law enforcement officials, and Newsweek has not independently verified that she is the poster of the video..
The video has been met with significant backlash online. One post from the account on X @iAnonPatriot reads “Target Karen HARASSES an employee for wearing a red Charlie Kirk “FREEDOM” shirt.. We don’t hate liberals enough,” and has been viewed 1 million times as of reporting.
Full Transcription of the Viral Video
Store Employee: Why -
Person Recording Video: They let you wear that shirt here?
Store Employee: Yes, why? Why are you taking my picture?
Person Recording Video: Why are you wearing that shirt? You’re working?
Store Employee: It’s a red shirt. I can wear any red shirt.
Person Recording Video: It’s not a plain shirt.
Store Employee: It doesn’t have to be a –
Person Recording Video: It’s a Charlie Kirk shirt.
Store Employee: Yes, oh, yes. I know.
Person Recording Video: Are you f****** stupid?
Store Employee: No.
Person Recording Video: Why the f*** would you wear that? You’re at work, at Target? That’s not a Target shirt. It’s not a plain red shirt. You support a racist?
Store Employee: It’s not racist.
Person Recording Video: You support a racist?
Store Employee: He’s not racist.
Person Recording Video: Yes he is. Yes he f****** is.
Store Employee: I’m sorry, but I’m not going to stand here and argue with you.
Person Recording Video: You should go get your manager. You should not be allowed to wear that at work. Unacceptable. Un-f******-acceptable.
Store Employee: That’s your opinion.
Person Recording Video: No, the opinion is, he’s a f****** racist and you support him.
Store Employee: That’s your opinion ma’am. Have a nice day.
Person Recording Video: And you shouldn’t, you should not be allowed to wear that. This is going to be taken, above your f****** head. That’s insane. Insane.
Store Employee: Have a nice day.
Person Recording Video: In-f******-sane. Piece of shit.
What People Are Saying
Enloe Health, in a statement issued to Facebook on Tuesday: "The Chico Police Department is investigating a social media post on the personal account of an Enloe Health employee. We are deeply concerned about the tenor of this post and the response it is creating from individuals of all political persuasions. We ask for patience and calm as we conduct our own internal investigation of this matter. In the meantime, we are relying on the expertise of the Chico Police Department to investigate any potential criminal activity or threats related to it."
Mike Wiltermood, Enloe Health's CEO and president, in a statement emailed to Newsweek: "We appreciate the many individuals who have seen this post and exercised restraint as they voice their personal views regarding this situation. Unfortunately, thousands of others have chosen to use profanity-laced language to express their disapproval to Enloe caregivers. These comments have overwhelmed our phone systems, impeding our ability to serve patients and their families. The behavior depicted in this video does not mirror Enloe Health’s core values, and we are committed to doing what is right by taking the actions necessary to protect our patients and community. At this time, we ask for patience, grace, and civility as we do so."
The Chico Police Department, in an statement emailed to Newsweek: "While we recognize that this topic is emotionally charged, our role is to evaluate whether or not any criminal conduct occurred during the incident. As a result, there are no criminal charges appropriate to file in this case. However, this incident serves as a reminder of the longstanding principle that while individuals may have the right to say certain things, exercising discretion and consideration for others is always advisable. In other words, just because you can say something, doesn’t mean you should."
Andrew Kolvet, the TurningPointUSA spokesperson in a post on X viewed more than 500,000 times: "If anyone can DM a way to get in touch with this wonderful woman who was needlessly harassed for honoring Charlie, I would love to personally thank her and send her some gifts."
Benny Johnson, a conservative media personality, in a post on X viewed more than 300,000 times: "An elderly Target employee gets threatened and abused by leftist activist for wearing a Charlie Kirk shirt. This is evil behavior."
What Happens Next?
A Fundraiser has been set up on GiveSendGo to raise money for the employee in the video. As of reporting, it has raised over $60,000.
Update 12/20/25, 05:42 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include statements from the Chico Police Department and Enloe Health.
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