(Credit: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
Macy’s released a statement on Sunday in response to an actor’s claims that he was racially profiled inside the flagship store in June saying that its employees were not involved in the incident.
The response comes after Robert Brown, of HBO’s “Treme,” filed a lawsuit Friday that alleges he was wrongly accused of using a fake credit card to buy a $1,350 gold Movado watch for his mother at the Herald Square store on June 8.
Brown said he was handcuffed, “paraded” around the store and detained for an hour just because he was black.
Macy’s said it has begun an investigation into the incident and that according to initial findings, “Macy’s personnel were not involved in Brown’s detention or questioning,” according to The New York Daily News.
“Macy’s procedures would have required a store associate to alert Macy’s Loss Prevention department of any suspicious activity,” the company said. “There were no such reports.”
The store only provided a room to NYPD officers for the purpose of Brown’s detention at the request of the police department, the store said.
Brown said he came forward with his story after he heard reports about other shoppers who had similar experiences.
Trayvon Christian, a 19-year-old student from Queens, filed a lawsuit against Barneys and the NYPD last week alleging he was held in a cell by police for two hours after he purchased a $350 Ferragamo belt from the Madison Avenue store in April.
Kayla Phillips, 21, said she was stopped by police officers after she purchased a $2,500 Céline handbag from Barneys in February.
Barney’s apologized in a statement on Friday and said it had hired Civil Rights Attorney Michael Yaki to review the store’s procedures and practices.
In its statement on Sunday, Macy’s said it “does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including racial profiling.”
“If Macy’s policies are found to have been violated, we will take swift and decisive action,” it said.
