Barney's Apologizes To Jay Z, Shoppers Claiming Racial Profiling
Barneys department store is officially offering an apology to rap mogul Shawn "Jay Z" Carter and two individuals who accused the store of racial profiling.
Mark Lee, the CEO of Barneys, apologized to two black shoppers, Trayon Christian and Kayla Phillips, who accused the store of accusing them of fraud because they are black.
"No one, and I mean no individual, should go through the unacceptable experiences described by Trayon Christian and Kayla Phillips," Lee told reporters after a lengthy meeting with Reverend Al Sharpton. "We offer our deepest sympathies to both of them."
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Lee's statements reported by The New York Post come after Sharpton threatened to lead a boycott against Barneys if they did not show proof that they pursued white potential shoplifters as much as black people in their store. Sharpton spoke out against the store after Christian, a black male college student, sparked a petition against Barneys after alleging that he was racially profiled after New York Police Department officers stopped him following his purchase of a $320 belt from the high end store.
Jay Z came under fire when petitions called for him to cancel his plans for debuting a holiday clothing collection in the store and has yet to oblige. The rap mogul took to his Life and Times website to defend himself after coming under fire in the media and on social media.
"I move and speak based on facts and not emotion. I haven't made any comments because I am waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barneys," Jay Z said in a statement on his website. "...I am against discrimination of any kind, but if I make snap judgments, no matter who it's towards, aren't I committing the same sin as someone who profiles? I am no stranger to being profiled and I truly empathize with anyone that has been put in that position."
Although Lee insisted that an investigation did not result in any proof of racial profiling within his store, he did issue an apology to Jay Z while saying that employees would be terminated if they did racially discriminate against anyone in the establishment.
"We deeply regret that these recent events have distracted from the great work of the Sean Carter Foundation, and we offer our sincere apologies to Mister Carter," Lee said, according to The New York Post.
