Incidents Increasing Of Shopping While Black
More African-American New Yorkers are coming forward to tell of being profiled while shopping at major retailers.
Four black shoppers in recent days stepped forward to allege racial profiling. Two of the cases involve Barneys New York and two involve the Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square.
Brooklyn resident Art Palmer told CBS that he was stopped by four undercover police officers outside Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square back in April after using two credit cards to buy several hundred dollars worth of shirts and ties.
“They ran up on me and pulled out their badge and demanded to see my merchandise,” CBS quoted Palmer as saying. “Went through everything, checking receipt against shirt, making sure it matched.
I was humiliated.”
As Palmer made the allegations, state Sen. Eric Adams, a Democrat from Brooklyn, N.Y., called on the city’s Commission on Human Rights to investigate…
A representative in the Barneys New York press office did not respond to a telephone message left Monday night. Representatives for Macy’s did not respond to an e-mail message Monday night.
An expert who monitors such cases as a representative with the NAACP national office said what is happening in New York is that people are stepping forward more. Such cases take place on a regular basis, based on contact made with NAACP branches, said Niaz Kasravi, criminal justice director for the civil rights organization.
