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."
Maybe his parents are wealthy and pay for his college, while he works a job to buy things for himself. If he has the money to buy a $350 belt, that really is his business; not the store’s nor the police.
“If a shop asked me for ID for a cash purchase they’d lose the sale.”
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My understanding is that he was using a debit card, in which case an ID would be appropriate.
Debit card, not cash.
I am not sure the store has any liability, all they did was report him as suspicious. Probably some law compels them to do so. The store did not arrest him nor was he arrested in the store.
The taxpayers will be paying for this one, as usual.
He’s Trayon, which is very similar to Trayvon. Hmmm...................
How about we end the police state?
Druggies can be shipped to Cuba.
Cussins.
Your example has nothing to do with ‘Tray-on’.
This is not even remotely similar to this guy’s situation.
Run around town and deliberately attempt to get hassled by the cops.
$20.000 for a toilet seat?
Yeah, that makes sense. $1,000 tennis sneakers, $350 belt and a clown suit. Doesn’t this boy have a father? [crickets chirping]
True and disgusting.
Perhaps Cupcake should pick TrayON over TrayVON.
The cops acted stupidly.
Hey. Look. This Tray-on had a hoodie.
Yup!
If this was on the other foot, and a guy with an NRA sticker was arrested because “NRA members are rednecks, they don’t buy expensive designer belts,” well, tons of Freepers’d be all over this.
I hope he wins a huge lawsuit against those racist thug cops.
Ed
I’m wondering what was the cause the cops stopped him. Do they just pick and choose people at random and shake them down. Oh, forgot, it’s NYC.
Hey, I resemble that remark...just add in some dope...: )
Probably had a decent upbringing and a decent guy...
What a cluster of busybody idiots. If the debit sale cleared, then their job is done. This kid has every right to sue and I hope he wins big.
At the point of being handcuffed and hauled off, I’d be raging mad. I’d sue too. And I’d make them pay.
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