More than 1,500 people have signed a Change.org petition and such celebs as Carl Banks, Questlove and Star Jones have voiced their support in calling for rap legend Jay Z to end his partnership with Barneys amid growing claims of racial profiling on the part of the high-end retail chain.
Thus far the Roc Nation Sports agency founder has yet to comment about allegations that store employees have engaged in profiling black shoppers to the point of calling police and having them questioned and detained over legal purchases.
Kayla Phillips,21, and Trayon Christian, 19, have both sued the city after being stopped and hassled by plainclothes detectives after shopping at the Madison Ave. flagship store.
Phillips reportedly had just used her tax refund check last February to purchase a $2,500 Celine bag when four officers confronted and detained her. In the case of Christian, after he purchased a $349 Ferragamo belt, detectives handcuffed and even escorted him to the precinct following his purchase.
"Barneys notified the police they had suspicion about this purchase and this particular card," police spokesman John McCarthy told the New York Daily News of the Phillips' incident. "The cops get a complaint from the store. That's what drives this."
That stands in stark contrast to what store vice president of customer service Kenneth Thompson claims. The News reports Thompson wrote in an email to Phillips mother "the individual who approached your daughter some time following her visit to our store was not a Barneys employee nor were they acting as a result of a call placed by Barneys New York to NYPD."
The News adds Jay Z, whose Roc Nation firm represents such high-profile athletes as Kevin Durant, Robinson Cano, Geno Smith and Victor Cruz, is now in Sweden for the next leg of his "Magna Carta" tour.
Kareem Vessup, Phillips' attorney, stressed the profiling complaints against Barneys don't end with the two now being publicized. "I have received phone calls from people alleging to be racial profiling victims... they are still under investigation," he said.
Meanwhile, Barneys CEO Mark Lee has agreed to met with civil rights group the National Action Network next week to "review" his store's policies.
The News reports while declining to provide a racial breakdown, Barneys claims it has filed 57 credit card abuse complaints at the store this year. Of its 53 larceny-related arrests, reportedly only 11 have involved credit card fraud.
"Looks like I'm going to have to put Barneys on time out," tweeted Jones.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
