Al Sharpton condemns 'shop and frisk' at Manhattan stores and threatens direct action against Barneys after racial profiling claims

  • Reverend Al Sharpton has accused Barney's of 'upscale racial profiling' after they allegedly called police on two black customers who bought expensive items
  • He said blacks and Latinos worry about being 'stopped-and-frisked' by police and 'shopped-and-frisked' in retail stores
  • Sharpton has demanded a meeting with Barneys and called for a boycott of the retailer

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 09:34 EST, 27 October 2013 | UPDATED: 10:40 EST, 27 October 2013

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton has threatened protests against New York retailer Barneys and a possible boycott for 'upscale racial profiling' after two black shoppers said they were discriminated against.

'In major cities like New York, blacks and Latinos not only worry about being “stopped-and-frisked” by police, but they also fear the embarrassment of being “shopped-and-frisked” in retail stores,' he said in an opinion piece for the New York Daily News.

'Perhaps all retailers need a friendly reminder of the immense buying power of blacks and minorities. We will definitely remember those who welcome us and those who would rather profile us, and we will speak loudly with our dollars — bottom line.'

Time for action: The Rev. Al Sharpton has condemned 'shop and frisk' at Manhattan stores and called for a boycott of Barneys

Time for action:The Rev. Al Sharpton has condemned 'shop and frisk' at Manhattan stores and called for a boycott of Barneys

Two black Barneys customers said this week they were detained by police after making expensive purchases.

Trayon Christian, 19, sued Barneys, saying he was accosted by undercover NYPD officers after using his debit card to buy a $349 Ferragamo belt in April.

Kayla Phillips, 21, said she was surrounded and interrogated by police after purchasing a $2,500 handbag from Barneys in February.

Sharpton said it was a 'travesty' that police and retailers interrogate black people who buy expensive items.

 

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'Barneys, a high-end retailer with stores in major cities, must answer for this pattern of biased behavior, as must the NYPD,' he wrote.

'Our National Action Network (NAN) Brooklyn chapter President Kirsten John Foy said it best when he called Barneys’ behavior schizophrenic. On the one hand, they want to expand their brand to the urban market, but then they turn around and see us as suspects rather than prospects.

'Barneys and other retailers that openly discriminate against us must be held accountable. Simply apologizing isn’t enough; we need to see a plan of action as to how they are going to rectify their ways.'

Accountability: Sharpton said Barneys, a high-end retailer with stores in major cities, must answer for its 'pattern of biased behavior'

Accountability: Sharpton said Barneys, a high-end retailer with stores in major cities, must answer for its 'pattern of biased behavior'

Sharpton has demanded a meeting with Barneys CEO, Mark Lee, and is 'currently mobilizing activists for peaceful direct-action against the store and the NYPD.'

Earlier this week, Lee said the company had retained a civil rights expert to help review its procedures and offered his 'sincere regret and deepest apologies'.

'Barneys New York has zero tolerance for any form of discrimination and we stand by our long history in support of all human rights,' Barneys said in a statement.

In his comment piece, Sharpton also highlighted the experiences of 'Treme' actor, Rob Brown, and Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker.

Brown claimed he was paraded through Macy’s Herald Square in handcuffs and placed in a holding cell because an employee suspected that his credit card didn’t belong to him in June,

Whitaker said he was accused of stealing and patted down after leaving a store in Morningside Heights.

'When international celebrities can be disrespected and mistreated in such a humiliating manner, how can we ever naively believe that our work is done?' Sharpton wrote.

Trayon Christian
Kayla Phillips, 21

Shocking: Trayon Christian, 19, left, and Kayla Phillips, 21, claim they were interrogated by police after buying expensive items from Barneys



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Still no comment on the biker gang Al?

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It's not racial profiling, it's a retail store profiling anyone who they think doesn't belong, white or black. It's hardly surprising, given the amount of theft that retail stores suffer.

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Oh, thank goodness he's in the news again. I was so worried he had come down with a permanent case of laryngitis or something.

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Go away you blow hole!

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Al is a race baiter

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Hate to say it but the photo of the young woman on the right isn't helping her case. It makes her look more like she may have earned her money in a rather shady way. This isn't profiling, I'm just looking at the photo and seeing a woman who seems more like a good time girl. In her case, I can see why the security people might have questioned her. If she wants to be taken seriously, she needs to tone it done a bit.

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So does this mean he will not be taking his sugar baby shopping this week? What a blowhard, it is nearing Christmas how many people does he envision following his sterling words. Bahahahahah

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It's good Barney's gave Al something to do for the day.

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Al Sharpton is nothing but hate! I boycott him and every stupid, idiotic idea he has!

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And the race-baiting blowhard finally makes an appearance!

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