CRAIG WARGA/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGES
SHOPPING
WHILE BLACK
black man to death in a confrontation over alleged shoplifting.
Actor Robert Brown, star of the
HBO show Treme, filed a federal
class-action lawsuit against Macy’s
for alleged racial discrimination in
November, citing 14 other minority
shoppers who claim they were mistreated due to their race. The lawsuit accuses Macy’s of leaving customers of color “feeling victimized,
humiliated, traumatized.” In response to the discrimination complaints, New York Attorney General
Eric Schneiderman has begun an
investigation of Barneys and Macy’s
practices, demanding the companies turn over information about
any policies on detaining and questioning customers based on race,
according to letters obtained by The
New York Daily News.
In November, Barneys and
Macy’s were no-shows at a City
Council hearing discussing ways to
combat racial profiling. Macy’s has
been subpoenaed by the New York
City Commission on Human Rights
ordering it to turn over security
policies and theft data — a request
Barneys has already fulfilled. In an
attempt to curb future problems,
Barneys rolled out its first initiative: video and audio surveillance
of the law enforcement officers who
HUFFINGTON
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visit the store’s security areas.
Despite promises of improvement, black Americans have long
dealt with the issue of “shopping
while black” — a humiliating experience typified by suspicious looks
from security guards, rude salespeople and bad service. In a 2007
Gallup survey, 28 percent of black
people polled said they had been
singled out due to their race while
shopping in the previous 30 days.
Neiman
Marcus has
also been sued
for alleged
racial profiling
in the past
decade.