An Office Depot in Chicago’s northwest suburbs was accused of religious discrimination after the store refused to print Pro-Life flyers containing a prayer published by Father Frank Pavone and Planned Parenthood’s own published statistics.
This week, after the story made The Drudge Report, Roland Smith, the chairman and chief executive officer of Office Depot, contacted the pro-life group to apologize. Smith said the store’s decision violated company rules.
Illinois Review reported:
Office Depot has contacted Ms. Goldsteins’s representative to explain that the store associate’s decision to decline a print order was in no way based on religious beliefs, but on the fact that it contained certain words and phrases that could be construed as graphic or advocates the persecution of groups of people, which is a violation of the company’s copy and print policy.
Office Depot has long maintained a policy of not allowing associates to print items that violate copyright laws, advocate persecution of any group or contain graphic material.
Upon a more detailed review, we have determined that the content of Ms. Goldstein’s flyer is not a clear violation of the company’s policy.
“We sincerely apologize to Ms. Goldstein for her experience and our initial reaction was not at all related to her religious beliefs. We invite her to return to Office Depot if she still wishes to print the flyer,” said Roland Smith, chairman and chief executive officer, Office Depot.
