NYPD officer files lawsuit against N.J. store alleging harassment for ‘shopping while Black’

A New York Police Officer has filed a lawsuit alleging employees at the PC Richard & Son store in Lawrenceville, NJ harassed him for “shopping while black”, by detaining him and calling local police, according to a report in The New York Post.

Shopping while Black in New Jersey

Sammari Malcolm, 40, of Brooklyn, alleges in the suit he was held for at least two hours, frisked, and local police were called Sept. 30 while he was trying to buy a $3,000 Sony flatscreen television and more than $1,000 worth of other electronics, the report said. Malcolm is seeking $5.75 million in damages, the report said.

Malcolm said although his credit card was accepted and he used his valid i.d., staff members accused of him using a stolen credit card and a fake license.

They detained him for at least two hours, called cops to report a “suspicious male black” and asked him how he got his credit card, according to the lawsuit.

“When plaintiff asked, ‘Did you profile me?’ [manager] Benedetto Aiello responded, ‘Yes, because we get hit a lot with people from New York.’”

Store manager Aiello, reached by phone, declined to comment. Local police referred calls to Lawrence Township, which declined to comment.

Photo source : New York Post