What is going on at Barneys?
Within a week, two civil rights lawsuit have been filed against them along with the NYPD by African-Americans.
Earlier this week, 19-year-old Trayon Christian made headlines when he alleged he was followed into the street by undercover cops and accused of fraud after he used his debit card to buy a $349 Ferragamo belt at Barneys on April 29. The young Queens man was cuffed and taken to the 19th Precinct stationhouse, but released with no charges, his discrimination suit said. Trayvon said he decided to buy the Ferragmo accessory because one of his favorite rappers, Juelz Santana, had sported the belt.
Last night, news broke of Kayla Phillips, 21, a nursing student from Canarsie, experiencing the same incident. Armed with cash from a tax return, she took her Bank of America debit card and headed to the Madison Ave. flagship store on Feb. 28 to purchase a $2,500 Celine bag. Kayla made the purchase without incident but says she was surrounded by cops just three blocks away.
“Two of them attacked me and pushed me against a wall, and the other two appeared in front of me, blocking the turnstile.”
“They were very rough,” said Kayla, who has filed a $5 million notice of claim with the city of her intention to sue the NYPD. “They kept asking me what I bought and saying, ‘Show us your card.’ I didn’t know what was happening.”
This of course has caused an uproar. The Brooklyn chapter of the Rev Al Sharpton’s National Action Network said the group also plans to picket Barneys if the alleged pattern of racial profiling does not stop, its president, Kirsten John Foy, said in a statement. The user behind the change.org petition is selling “Barneys New Slaves” T-shirts with proceeds going to the Boys and Girls Club of America. Even Juelz Santana chimed in:
RT @CassieAtMetro: Student sues @BarneysNY for fraud accusation after buying @Ferragamo belt like one worn by @thejuelzsantana http: SMH
— Juelz Santana (@thejuelzsantana) October 24, 2013
Barneys has said in a statement no employee “was involved in the pursuit of any action with the individual other than the sale.”
So what does all this mean for Jay Z who just announced a partner ship w/ Barneys?
Well Jay Z has not commented on the controversy. But his affiliation with the store is being questioned. Twitter was filled with users demanding that the emcee cut all ties. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.
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