By: Serina Gousby
It is almost Christmas time and November is the perfect time to get an early start on shopping. However, would you want to go to your favorite department stores that have been repeatedly accused of racial profiling? The department store Barney’s New York has been in hot water for the last few weeks after two African-Americans claimed that they were racially profiled after paying for their expensive items and left the store. According to CNN, a 19-year-old college student, Trayon Christian, has sued Barney’s New York and the city police department, expressing that he was racially profiled because of his $350 belt purchased in April of this year. He claimed that two undercover NYPD detectives stopped him immediately after he left the store. The officers started asking him questions about how he was able to pay for the belt and made accusations that his debit card was fraudulent. As soon as they confirmed with the bank that it was his card, they apologized and left.
Soon after, 21-year-old nursing student Kayla Phillips came forward claiming that four undercover officers attacked her after she left Barney’s with her expensive purchase in February. She told CNN that she always wanted to have a Celine bag after seeing a friend buy it for his mother. With her debit card, she spent $2,500 on the bag and left the store. When the officers stopped her, not only did they question her, but also attacked her by pushing her against the wall and were “very rough.” As soon as these stories came out, many fans and supporters of rap mogul and businessman Jay Z demanded that he end his partnership with Barney’s New York, since he is working on a clothing line that is set to sell during the winter holidays. He released a statement on Oct. 26, saying, “Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately? The negligent, erroneous reports and attacks on my character, intentions, and the spirit of this collaboration have forced me into a statement I didn’t want to make without the full facts… I am no stranger to being profiled and I truly empathize with anyone that has been put in that position. Hopefully this brings forth a dialogue to affect real change.” He also said that he and his team would look for more information and try to find a perfect solution regarding his partnership with Barney’s. As an African-American, this story has surprised me a little bit because New York is full of diversity and different cultures, and it should not matter which race comes in the store. I am not sure whether to express this situation as racism or just a matter of judgment, because since Jay Z is a black man who happens to have a partnership with Barney’s, he would not be a target. Because he is a public figure who is able to purchase very expensive items, there is no reason to profile him. However, since the two African-Americans were students, young, and probably were dressed in a casual way, not in suits or in fancy clothing, that would have made them a potential threat to Barney’s. In addition, the officers had no right to attack the two students after they purchased their items. If there was a problem, the officers should have approached calmly and asked them questions, and not allegedly treat them as criminals because of the color of their skin. For someone who has never been racially profiled in a store, or just never really noticed, stories like this makes me a bit curious of how many other people, not just African- Americans, have been judged in a department store because of their race, weight, or sexual orientation.
