Macy's Store In Hot Water For Another Discrimination Accusations; Is It A Common Practice In The Company? ‘Other’ Victims Think So
Macy's flagship store in New York is in hot water anew for racial profiling claims.
The New York Daily News reported that Halim Sharif from Mount Vernon said that he was stopped by Macy's personnel right when he was about to leave the shop after buying a $2,400 Louis Vuitton bag back on April 19 of this year. The store even set off an alarm to stop him. Sharif said he was the only one who was stopped by the store security guard while the other customers who were not black were able to leave without being questioned. He told the news portal that he was urged to move forward and expose Macy's discriminatory actions after reading about four other racist claims against Macy's.
"It was as clear as black and white," Sharif told the Daily News. "There was no grey area. I saw people exit before me and after me - and none of them looked like me. They lacked pigmentation."
Sharif has filed a complaint against the company shortly after the incident happened but according to him, Macy''s didn't take any measure.
On Saturday, the multinational corporation finally broke its silence. It said:
"We take any claim made by our customers very seriously and will investigate Mr. Sharif's allegation vigorously. Macy's has a zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. If Macy's policies have not been upheld, we will take swift and immediate action. As Mr. Sharif's case is pending litigation, we cannot comment further on any specifics relating to the lawsuit."
Sharif's racial profiling case is the fifth that was fired against Macy's this year. Another incident took place in February and involves 21-year old Kayla Phillips, a Brooklyn mom, who claimed that she was profiled by Barney's (a Macy's chain store) after buying a designer bag.
Lawyer Kareem Vessup, who represents both Phillips and Sharif, said that they are hopeful that the justice system will heed their cries.
"We're confident that during the litigation and discovery process Kayla and Halim will receive the justice due to them based on their respective experiences," he said.
