A Walmart in Providence, Rhode Island, is under fire for placing a Black employee inside a cage to promote a children’s fundraiser, with many criticizing the store after the photo went viral on social media.

Angela Boateng told The Providence Journal she took a photo of the young man last week when she went to the store to make a return. She said she was “mortified” to see the man on display as if he was in jail for committing a crime.

“As I was exiting that Walmart on Silver Spring, I noticed this cage, and I felt like I saw somebody and I went closer … and I’m like, is there a young male in the cage? I just did not understand what was happening, but I was mortified,” Boateng said in an interview on Thursday. “And as I went closer to read what was on the cage, I don’t know really what came over me. I was just deeply offended.”

The sign on the cage read: “I’m in jail!!! I need bail!!! Help me raise $50 to get out!!” According to the sign, all proceeds would benefit the Hasbro Children’s Miracle Network.

Boateng sent the photo to Angela Ankoma, who leads the Rhode Island Foundations Equity Leadership Initiative. Ankoma then shared the photo on her Twitter page, saying she was “perplexed” over the display.

“This “fundraising” campaign was shared with me this evening. I’m perplexed. This is WILD,” she tweeted.

Boateng said she tried complaining to an associate about the fundraising campaign. She said the display was a “horrific” way for the companies to raise money and to take accountability for their actions, per the newspaper.

“Walmart and Hasbro [Hospital] need to acknowledge their actions,” Boateng said. “They need to apologize and let the community know what active steps they’re taking to ensure this doesn’t happen again. And I think that they just need to come public with it.”

Walmart Corp. spokesman Joe Pennington said the location annually participated in the fundraiser and encouraged store employees to be creative in their attempt to raise money. However, he did confirm the display went against store policy and has been removed.

“The ‘jail’ fundraiser goes against company policy and should never be used,” Pennington said. “We are reinforcing this with our stores in the area, and this display has been removed from our Providence location.”

Sarah Lyons, a spokeswoman for Lifespan Health System, said she was unaware of the fundraiser with Hasbro Children’s Miracle Network, even though it’s part of the medical center.

“As a partner of the Children’s Miracle Network, Walmart has been a great supporter and partner of Hasbro Children’s Hospital and we are very appreciative,” Lyons said. “We were not aware of this particular fundraiser held as part of the Children’s Miracle Network campaign and have spoken with both the Children’s Miracle Network and the local store about fundraising alternatives moving forward.”

The fundraiser has caused a stir among the Black community, with civil rights attorney Ben Crump calling out Walmart for promoting the display, Atlanta Black Star reported.

“Putting a Black employee in a cage should NOT have been the solution to raise funds. Why did no one at Walmart realize this before this offensive and humiliating event happened?” he tweeted.

On Thursday, the Black Lives Matter Rhode Island Political Action Committee and local NAACP chapter called for Walmart to take responsibility for the display.

“Images of Black people in cages represents a long, dark history in this country,” NAACP branch President Gerard Catala said in an emailed statement to the newspaper. “From literature, arts and everyday entertainment such as King Kong in the 1940’s. Walmart should apologize and recognize that this is insulting and hurtful to Blacks, which is a large sector of their customer base at that particular Walmart.”

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