Al Sharpton Threatens Boycott of Barneys NYC Over Alleged Racial Profiling of 2 Customers

Christmas in NYC ... the store windows all dressed up for the holidays ... stores packed with goods and people gleefully shopping their hearts (and wallets) out .... festive holiday music setting the tone in the stores ... snowflakes falling outside ...

... and Al Sharpton calling for people to boycott all that at Barneys (one of the more popular stores in NYC for Christmas) because of an alleged racial profiling of two customers.

Al Sharpton getting people all worked up over the Zimmerman verdict didn't work out for him ... so now he's moved on to calling for a boycott of Barneys in NYC.

Al Sharpton Threatens Boycott of Retailer Barneys over NYC Shoppers Racial Profiling

The Rev. Al Sharpton threatened Saturday to boycott luxury retailer Barneys if the department store doesn't respond adequately to allegations by black shoppers that they were racially profiled there.

"We've gone from stop and frisk to shop and frisk, and we are not going to take it," the black civil rights leader said. "We are not going to live in a town where our money is considered suspect and everyone else's money is respected."

Some well known folks have big contracts with Barneys, including Jay Z. To his credit, he has decided to wait until the facts are in before he gets all loud and huffy. It could be because he's displaying common sense or it could be because he doesn't want to lose money that he's invested in his contract with Barneys. Either way ... Jay Z is waiting to see the facts in the matter.

Jay Z Defends Deal with Barneys After Profiling Allegations.

Jay-Z -- under increasing pressure to back out of a collaboration with the luxury store Barneys New York after it was accused of racially profiling two black customers -- said Saturday he's being unfairly "demonized" for just waiting to hear all of the facts.

The rap mogul made his first statement about the controversy in a posting on his website. He has come under fire for remaining silent as news surfaced this week that two young black people said they were profiled by Barneys after they purchased expensive items from their Manhattan store

"I move and speak based on facts and not emotion," the statement said. "I haven't made any comments because I am waiting on facts and the outcome of a meeting between community leaders and Barneys. Why am I being demonized, denounced and thrown on the cover of a newspaper for not speaking immediately?" he said, referring to local newspaper headlines.

More info on the incident of alleged profiling of two black patrons

So far Al Sharpton is shouting into the wind. No one is joining him in the calls for boycott.
Not even Jesse Jackson. Considering this is the Christmas season and it's NYC, and considering
that it's Al Sharpton leading the charge ... I don't see this boycott gaining any legs ...

reply to post by FlyersFan


its OCTOBER 28th - how the hell has " Christmas season " migrated so far ??????????

im all for a boycott.

but i almost dont want to because of Al Sharpton. its getting a little condescending in this day and age to only want freedom and equality for blacks. or any minority.
his niche is making him quite the racist lol

ignorant_ape
its OCTOBER 28th - how the hell has " Christmas season " migrated so far ??????????

Christmas shopping starts the day after Halloween ... that's this week.
Al Sharptons boycott would take place over the Christmas shopping season.

ignorant_ape
reply to post by FlyersFan

 

its OCTOBER 28th - how the hell has " Christmas season " migrated so far ??????????

Christmas starts when Thanksgiving is over. Remember people have credit cards to max out.


As far as the kid with the belt that was profiling. The kid walks in buys a belt and gets busted when he walks out and the store says they had nothing to do with it. Yeah right.

There is no 'culture of racial profiling' at Barneys. It's never happened before and it's only two customers that ALLEGEDLY got questioned. It seems extreme to me for Al Sharpton to be calling for a boycott of the entire store over the ALLEGED racial profiling of two customers over the entire history of the store being in business.

I would think a common sense approach would be to wait for the facts to come in to see if the incidents actually happened and if they were really racial profiling ... and take a look at the history of the store and realize that the store doesn't practice racial profiling but that PERHAPS they might have an employee who, once or twice, profiled customers. If that's the case, then you discipline the employee and you don't punish the entire store.

I think Al Sharpton has gone overboard (as usual).

buster2010
Christmas starts when Thanksgiving is over.

Dude ... there are already Christmas things in the stores now. And in NYC, the Christmas decorations go up right after Halloween. The decorations go up for the Thanksgiving season.

The kid walks in buys a belt and gets busted when he walks out and the store says they had nothing to do with it. Yeah right.

- The incident is alleged and the facts haven't come out yet.
- It's two incidents over the entire life of the store. That's not a culture of 'racial profiling'.
- If it turns out that an employee was inappropriate, then the store fires the employee.

For Al Sharpton to call for a boycott of the entire store when the facts aren't in yet, and when the store has NO HISTORY WHATSOVER of being racist or profiling ... well that's absurd. This is just typical Al Sharpton trying to keep himself somehow relevant in the news ...

IMHO, this sounds an awful lot like they have a “wanna-be” cop security guard working in their store, but its not store policy. The store needs to get records on who it is that is calling in these tips to the police.

Ive worked retail 15 years, from front lines all the way to executive.


We profile, period.

everyday, every store.

it happens.


And as a Shaved headed hispanic, its annoying as hell, I can't walk through a store with out being asked 50 times if I need help, and get followed. (an for those that worked retail know, "customer service" is the cover for LP )

Thats as an upper middle class, college grad, small business owner.

SO yeah, boycott all retail if you are against profiling, because Ive never worked at a company that didn't support it in a de facto kinda way.


Companies ive worked for that have done it, Target, Gamestop, Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot, Kmart, Homedepot, ATT.

Those are all place where I worked directly with stores, in multi unit management, to direct retail management and loss prevention.

Considering the dubious personality of Sharpton as well as his knee-jerk reactions. Considering that many, if not most of his "outrages" are either based on phony or mundane circumstances, why on earth would anyone want to have that man be their vocal proponent? If I were black and felt as though I were genuinely a victim of racism, I would certainly not want him to cry out for me as it would immediately call into question the validity and veracity of my claim. If he had already done so, I would politely ask him to stop. Do people actually listen to him anymore?

reply to post by FlyersFan


I was once robbed by some black teenagers. I suppose all black teenagers should be jailed until they can prove they are not thieves.

Please explain, Mr. Sharpton, how the above idiotic statement is any different than your boycott.

I know everyone with more than one brain cell, thinks Al and Jessie are pimples on the ass of society, but it's just so fun to rag on them. Poor Jessie isn't even interested in this one.

Al Sharpton only cares about Al Sharpton, he will throw himself in front of the camera at any opportunity. The man is nefarious, he is the Don King of civil rights. Seriously Barneys has a huge deal with a black rapper, that just SCREAMS racism, huh Al? How many times has this man been busted pointing his finger at innocent people? He goes out to raise funds for people's phony lawsuits and lines his pockets. Of course he wants to demonize J for thinking first and acting later because people actually thinking would end this charleton.

benrl[/i
We profile, period. everyday, every store. it happens.

My daughter is 17 and gets followed around stores and has store security watching her all the time. But IT MAKES SENSE. Teenage girls shoplift like crazy. My daughter doesn't. Never has. But I've told her that 'they'll' be watching her every move and that when shes' at a counter looking at bracelets or rings, she should stand with her hands behind her back and not near the items. Her friends all stand like that. It makes store security people more comfortable and it prevents any misunderstandings ....

It's expected ... and understandably so.