Racial Profiling at Barneys- More Brothers and Sisters need to Start Standing Up to This Nonsense!

I was reading about Trayon Christian and Kayla Phillps, the two African-American customers who were racially profiled at Barneys here in New York. Hearing about their experience at the flagship store of this retailer angered and disgusted me.

But I was happy to hear that Taryon Christian, was SMART enough to take his respect. After being taken down to a police station and being questioned about the validity of his debit card and where he got his money, the next day he went right back to that store, returned that $345 belt and filed a million dollar discrimination lawsuit against Barneys.

That’s the kind of kick in the nuts the racists at Barneys need. If you can’t respect Black dollars then it doesn’t make sense for Black people to shop there.

Moreover, we brothers and sisters need to make an effort to stop supporting businesses that don’t support us. Black people need to stop spending money in stores that don’t value our money. And we need to stop spend our TIME in stores where our presence isn’t wanted.

If Barneys doesn’t want our money, one of their competitors like Charles Tyrwhitt or Brooks Brothers will be glad to have it.

Better yet, we need to take our money to a Black-owned designer like FUBU and keep our money in the community.

Having been racially profiled when I shopped, I can tell readers that I don’t put up with abuse from racist retailers and neither should they. When stores like my local Associated Supermarket here in the South Bronx disrespect me, I simply stop shopping there.

And then I tell other Black people not to shop there either. When I have a bad experience at a store I first contact their management and let them know about my experience. Then I blog about it and tell others in social media. I believe the only way to stop racial profiling in retail is for Black people to tell other Black people about it so they can avoid that retailer.

If enough of us brothers and sisters stopped shopping in these stores where we’re followed around, get our money scrutinized or are forced to check our bags at the door It’d change the game. Maybe when these businesses see Black dollars going to a competitor they’d see how racial profiling costs their business.

Companies say they don’t see Black and White but only green. So when those businesses like Barneys racially profile customers let’s make sure that our dollars aren’t seen in their tills.

It’s clear to me someone in Management at Barneys flagship store is promoting racial profiling as a policy. And they’re teaching their salespeople this practice this policy as part of the pattern and practice at Barneys regarding Customers of color.

That person needs to be found and terminated as soon as possible. Not retrained, not sent to counseling. TERMINATED.

Barneys needs to send a message to their employees that racial profiling will not be tolerated. And that employees who participate in this illegal practice will not be allowed to be a part of the Barneys team promoting a culture of discrimination and unprofessionalism.

Black people need to start following the example of Taryon Christian and Kayla Phillps and start standing up to retailers where they are racially profiled like Barneys. Again brothers and sisters, if they don’t value your dollars, then it doesn’t make sense to shop with them. Take your money and spend it where it’ll be appreciated.  There are a dozen Black-owned designers like FUBU and Karl Kani who would love to have your money and support.