Nordstrom Rack apologizes after calling the police on three black teens who were shopping for prom

[SummerMadness]

Nordstrom Rack apologizes after calling the police on three black teens who were shopping for prom

Three black teens shopping for prom at a Nordstrom Rack in Brentwood, Missouri, near St. Louis, faced the police after store employees suspected they were shoplifting, calling further attention to incidents of racial profiling in commercial spaces over the past month.

Nordstrom has since apologized, and St. Louis NAACP President Adolphus Pruitt told The Washington Post that the company's president plans to meet with the men on Tuesday. Still, Pruitt said he and the young men know an apology will not be a permanent solution.

 

[Dave-W]

Abso freakin' lutely unbelievable.

 

[Hammster]

Hopefully the “elderly white woman” sees this.

 

[Hank77]

his department received a message from dispatch about three black men, shoplifting "handfuls of products."

Whoever called it in just flat out lied.

 

[Tanj]

What kind of horrible parent names their child Adolphus. Were they planning on sending him to Hogwarts?

 

[Zoii]

There was a similar incident in Perth

 

[Shiloh Raven]

What kind of horrible parent names their child Adolphus. Were they planning on sending him to Hogwarts?

Hey! I take issue with that comment. And it would be Albus or Aberforth, not Adolphus. Lol.

 

[SummerMadness]

his department received a message from dispatch about three black men, shoplifting "handfuls of products."

Whoever called it in just flat out lied.

This happened with John Crawford. Someone called 911 and said he was walking around pointing a gun a people. Police went in and killed him in seconds... he had no weapon, he wasn't pointing it anyone (he found an opened BB gun in the store and was walking with it at his side while on the phone).

There really needs to be a charge/fine for people making these false reports. This is also the reason that John Ferrer is dead (although that falls now squarely in the "white fear kills" camp).

 

[Snappy1]

This happened with John Crawford. Someone called 911 and said he was walking around pointing a gun a people. Police went in and killed him in seconds... he had no weapon, he wasn't pointing it anyone (he found an opened BB gun in the store and was walking with it at his side while on the phone).

There really needs to be a charge/fine for people making these false reports. This is also the reason that John Ferrer is dead (although that falls now squarely in the "white fear kills" camp).

Agreed. I had a "man with a gun call" a few weeks ago. Turned out to be a group of kids playing with an airsoft gun. Like 13 and 14 year old kids. I'm not knocking people calling police, but they need to be more careful or attentive. Realize the possible repercussions.

 

[Willie T]

If someone is walking around with a gun (of ANY kind) or acting suspicious......... Thank God for people who care enough to report it. You guys seem to have swallowed too many blue pills.

 

[rambot]

If someone is walking around with a gun (of ANY kind) or acting suspicious......... Thank God for people who care enough to report it. You guys seem to have swallowed too many blue pills.

I'm gonna point out you used the word "'or' acting suspicious". There are many places in the US with open carry laws. I would LOVE to hear about folks getting called in while carrying guns. Sadly, it seems to happen when black people do it. What's the deal with that?

 

[Willie T]

I'm gonna point out you used the word "'or' acting suspicious". There are many places in the US with open carry laws. I would LOVE to hear about folks getting called in while carrying guns. Sadly, it seems to happen when black people do it. What's the deal with that?

Try to stay focused on with what this thread is about. The "acting suspicious" was an answer to the very subject of this thread. If those guys had just been shopping they would have drawn no attention to themselves, whatsoever. They were either shoplifting, or acting like it to be cute. No one thinks a shopper is shoplifting if they are just shopping like everyone else. Do you REALLY think they were the only black people in the store, and that they were singled out because of that? I imagine some of the store employees were black too.

 

[dgiharris]

his department received a message from dispatch about three black men, shoplifting "handfuls of products."

Whoever called it in just flat out lied.

One thing that would help is if there was a law that stated if you call police on someone and lie you are held liable.

Hmmm... i think some States might actually have a law like that on the books

 

[Willie T]

One thing that would help is if there was a law that stated if you call police on someone and lie you are held liable.

Hmmm... i think some States might actually have a law like that on the books

How would intimidating the majority of people into not reporting crimes they feel they have seen (but failed to ask the perpetrators if they were actually engaged in a felony) help anyone but the guys who would then know they could get away with almost anything?

 

[dgiharris]

How would intimidating the majority of people into not reporting crimes they feel they have seen (but failed to ask the perpetrators if they were actually engaged in a felony) help anyone but the guys who would then know they could get away with almost anything?

Not sure I'm calling for a law that intimidates people.

I'm merely calling for a law that punishes people for knowingly lying when they call police.

Why would you be against such a law? Are you arguing that it is okay to disrupt and endanger citizens by erroneously calling police and making things sound worse then they really are just so you can justify calling the police???

Alabama cop who left Indian man paralyzed had responded to call about a 'skinny black man' | Daily Mail Online

This Indian guy was merely walking around at 8am in the morning. That is all. But apparently "someone" thought he was suspicious and called the police on him.

If you call the police in a situation that a "reasonable" person can make a mistake then sure, no harm no foul.

But if you knowingly LIE to police when you witness no one breaking the law whatsoever, then you should be held liable for the costs of the police coming out. You should also be held liable if your lie contributes to the harm done to whomever you are lying about.

So if you are truthful you have nothing to worry about.

If this lady would have said, "Hi, I'm calling to report a skinny black guy walking up and down my street". Then she has nothing to worry about.

However, when she calls and says, "Hi, I'm calling to report a skinny black guy acting suspicious and trying to break into houses..." then she should have something to worry about because she is lying.

 

[Willie T]

Not sure I'm calling for a law that intimidates people.

I'm merely calling for a law that punishes people for knowingly lying when they call police.

Why would you be against such a law? Are you arguing that it is okay to disrupt and endanger citizens by erroneously calling police and making things sound worse then they really are just so you can justify calling the police???

Alabama cop who left Indian man paralyzed had responded to call about a 'skinny black man' | Daily Mail Online

This Indian guy was merely walking around at 8am in the morning. That is all. But apparently "someone" thought he was suspicious and called the police on him.

If you call the police in a situation that a "reasonable" person can make a mistake then sure, no harm no foul.

But if you knowingly LIE to police when you witness no one breaking the law whatsoever, then you should be held liable for the costs of the police coming out. You should also be held liable if your lie contributes to the harm done to whomever you are lying about.

So if you are truthful you have nothing to worry about.

If this lady would have said, "Hi, I'm calling to report a skinny black guy walking up and down my street". Then she has nothing to worry about.

However, when she calls and says, "Hi, I'm calling to report a skinny black guy acting suspicious and trying to break into houses..." then she should have something to worry about because she is lying.

Are you really all that aware of how the laws get mangled in this country? (See what I bolded in your post)

 

[RDKirk]

Try to stay focused on with what this thread is about. The "acting suspicious" was an answer to the very subject of this thread. If those guys had just been shopping they would have drawn no attention to themselves, whatsoever. They were either shoplifting, or acting like it to be cute. No one thinks a shopper is shoplifting if they are just shopping like everyone else. Do you REALLY think they were the only black people in the store, and that they were singled out because of that? I imagine some of the store employees were black too.

No. What we know is that the store manager was trying to straddle the problem of keeping both the elderly white women and the young men as satisfied customers.

The manager actually had everyone at the cash registers finalizing their purchases...then some other store employee called the police.

The manager already had it handled when someone called the police.

So, no, nothing you said was the case.

 

[SummerMadness]

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that look at mistreated black people as staging police calls. People will say anything to justified ridiculous calls to the police over nothing.

Kids looking through a department store for clothes become purposely making themselves look suspicious. Student falling asleep in a lounge is a student purposely falling asleep to make someone call the police. Rather than look at these ridiculous chicken littles who see the police as their tool for keeping certain people in their place, we get ridiculous leaps in logic to justify unjustifiable behavior.

 

[rambot]

Try to stay focused on with what this thread is about.

Condescension aside....

The "acting suspicious" was an answer to the very subject of this thread. If those guys had just been shopping they would have drawn no attention to themselves, whatsoever. They were either shoplifting, or acting like it to be cute

False. The world is not dictated by "either/ors" that you want to be true. And certainly not when you base it on assumptions that have nothing to do with the story as it is presented.

No one thinks a shopper is shoplifting if they are just shopping like everyone else.

You have absolutely no idea what it's like to be a minority in North America I guess hey? I'm also guessing you haven't heard of black folks shopping being followed by staff at stores for no good reason (And if there is no GOOD reason, what are the probable BAD reasons?). We never hear about those stories on the news but frankly, I'm not convinced it would matter because too many folks would refuse to believe that they were being followed because they MUST be doing something that everyone would consider suspicious. There are scores of videos about this kinda thing happening in stores on youtube. There is complaints about this all the time.

Honestly, I'm a bit surprised that this fact is unknown to anyone who lives here.... But that said, it's pretty clear that there are more than a few people who simply refuse to respect the stories of minorities and refuse to confront racist or prejudicial behaviours.

It's weird that racists in North America are more brazen and acting out (and feeling more self righteous in their behaviours) than they ever have and that we then have people excusing prejudicial behaviour.

 

[SummerMadness]

This is something many black people have encountered, so much that some laugh at how blatant it is:

It's funny, but a sad commentary at the same time.