Posted on 10/23/2013 2:50:27 PM PDT by IbJensen
19-year-old college student from Queens says he was handcuffed and locked in a jail cell after buying a $350 designer belt at Barneys on New York's Madison Avenue because he is "a young black man."
Trayon Christian told NBC 4 New York on Wednesday that he saved up from a part-time job for weeks to buy a Salvatore Ferragamo belt at Barneys.
When he went to the store to buy it in April, he says the checkout clerk asked to see his identification. After the sale went through and he left the store, he was approached by police about a block away, and asked "how a young black man such as himself could afford to purchase such an expensive belt," according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
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Officers hauled Christian to the local precinct, where he showed police his identification, as well as his debit card and the receipt for the belt, the lawsuit says.
Police still believed Christian's identification was fake, and eventually called his bank, which verified it was his, according to the complaint. Christian, who has no prior arrests, was released.
He told NBC 4 New York that questions were racing through his mind while he went through the painful experience of being handcuffed and taken to a cell.
"Why me? I guess because I'm a young black man, and you know, people do a credit card scam so they probably thought that I was one of them," Christian said. "They probably think that black people don't have money like that."
He later returned the belt to Barneys because he says he "didn't want to have nothing to do with it."
He is suing the city and the luxury department store for unspecified damages as a result of "great physical and mental distress and humiliation."
Christian's attorney, Michael Palillo, told the Post, "His only crime was being a young black man."
Barneys said in a statement Wednesday that none of its employees was involved in any action with Christian other than the sale, and added that the store "has zero tolerance for any form of discrimination."
If the story is accurate (and it sure looks like it is), I hope he wins. Big.
This type of real racism gives the libs cover for using the race card. Not only that, it is just plain WRONG.
Will also give him kudos for not buying a knock off or a “discounted” real one out of a van.
I don’t like the police state questioning what a free citizen buys. This is racism.
But, little Trayon looks just devastated in that picture. His sad, unsmiling face just says “shattered”. He will need millions for therapy. He’ll neva be able to put on a belt again without ... smiling from ear to ear about his lottery winnings.
Also, this young man rates about a 0 out of 10 on the thug-o-meter...
This is not even remotely similar to this guy’s situation.
Run around town and deliberately attempt to get hassled by the cops.
You have some information that this guy was "running around town and deliberately attempting to get hassled by the cops?" If so, please do post your links.
Or as Mets' closer Tug McGraw said, when asked what he'd do with his World Series bonus, "I'll spend most of it on wine, women and song. The rest, I'll probably piss away."
In New Yawk! I thought stuff like this only happened in red states.
Resist we much!
(sorry, couldn't help it)
That is assuming the kid is telling the truth.
Do you think I’m going to do your work for you just because you’re a left wing nut case?
(Just kidding about the nut thing.)
When’s the last time you bought a belt that cost $350?
A (timing) belt for my Mercedes wouldn’t cost that much!
We are all suspects to an ever increasingly paranoid government.
His pants are probably worn around his ankles anyway.
“Belt? Belt? I don’ need no f—king belt!”
Racism my Aunt Minnie’s ass.
When a 19 year-old punk with a hoodie buys a $350 belt he deserves to be hassled. Where did he get the money?
No problem.
He should have bought the belt in Walmart.
Look them up yourself.
I’m getting sick and tired of looking up the history on perps.
Aha!
But the kid has an earring.
Probably covered with tats under that hoodie.
For an item that is registered it’s a different story. I’m one of those cranks that got PO’d whenever the clerk at Radio Shack demanded my name & address every time I bought a battery.
Sounds pretty crappy to me.
“If the story is accurate (and it sure looks like it is), I hope he wins. Big.
This type of real racism gives the libs cover for using the race card. Not only that, it is just plain WRONG.”
+1
Thugs with that kind of money don’t use debit cards (or banks).
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