The floodgates have opened.
In the aftermath of high-profile racial discrimination claims against Barneys, the upscale retailer, more incidents are coming to light.
Now, actor Robert Brown, star of HBO's Treme, says he was profiled in June at Macy's after buying his mother a $1,350 watch. He has now filed a civil suit against the store for an unspecified amount, charging that he was "paraded" in handcuffs through the company's flagship store in New York City's Herald Square and placed in a holding cell, the Daily News reports.
Why? Well, an employee apparently did not think he was the actual owner of the credit card.
"Why was I put in cuffs? Why was I even approached?" 29-year-old Brown asked the Daily News Friday during an interview at his attorney's office. "It was a slap in the face."
A Macy's spokeswoman says the incident is under investigation. Brown's revelation comes as Barneys is dealing with claims that it racially profiled two black shoppers after they made expensive purchases. Barneys has apologized for the incidents and hired a civil rights expert to review treatment of customers. Jay Z, who is set to launch a holiday collection with Barneys, is being urged to back away from the deal. But, the rapper has yet to speak out.
Brown made his movie debut in 2000, starring opposite Sean Connery in Finding Forrester. The Macy's incident is not a role he ever expected to play, he has said.
Read more at the Daily News.