Michelea Ponce Target row: Employer Enloe Health provides key update after fight over ‘Freedom’ t-shirt goes viral

Michelea Ponce's employer Enloe Health has released a statement after a fight with a Target employee for wearing a ‘Freedom’ t-shirt went viral online.

Michelea Ponce's employer Enloe Health has released a statement after a fight with a Target employee for wearing a ‘Freedom’ t-shirt went viral online. A TikTok video was shared widely and the popular healthcare brand came under scrutiny as a result as internet sleuths tracked down the identity of the TikToker, noting her to be Ponce, and then figured out she was working for Enloe.

A video showing an altercation between a TikToker, identified as Michelea Ponce, and an elderly Target employee has gone viral. (X/@TheOfficerTatum)

In the video, the TikToker going by @motherofballers can be seen arguing with an elderly employee of a Target store in Orlando, California, for wearing a red ‘Freedom’ t-shirt. Notably, the ‘Freedom’ tees became incredibly popular after Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA founder, was assassinated wearing one at the Utah Valley University event on September 10.

What Enloe Health said about the incident

Enloe Health released a statement on Facebook, addressing the incident. They noted that the police are now involved in the matter, and are investigating.

“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,” they said.

Enloe Health added, “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.”

The statement further continued, “Currently, extremely high call volumes related to this post are overwhelming Enloe’s switchboard and clinic phone lines, negatively impacting our patients’ ability to reach clinical staff. If you wish to share a comment with Enloe Health related to this employee’s social media post, please email us at share@enloe.org or call 530-332-9818 and leave a message. Thank you for helping us ensure patients who need medical treatment can reach a caregiver.”

Amid continuing outrage, they limited comments on the post.

The video of the confrontation, which has now gone viral, shows the elderly employee stacking more of the same tees on the shelves from a cart for sale. While the employee appears to object to being recorded, the TikToker continues, going on to call the other person ‘racist’ and ‘stupid’.

Enloe's statement made its way to X as well, with conservative commentators lauding the move.

Sharing a clip of the altercation, alongside the statement, a person noted ‘Good! This is harassment. We need accountability.’