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Racial Profiling In America At Its Best: Profiling Of Two Black Rockhurst University Women Highlights Dining While Black In Missouri

Can you image spending hours of free time shopping at your local mall? Its a pass time shared by many American women for generations. At some point though, all of that foot work tends to wear down on consumers, and most venues have various places to eat within the facility, like a food court, and some malls even have family style restaurants where shoppers can sit in and dine. For two Kansas City, Missouri black women a trip to the mall and a dinner afterwards would prove to be very compelling, as to why the NAACP has declared the entire state a Missouri unsafe” for black Americans.

A video which is now going viral was posted on the Facebook page of Alexis Brison depicting two black women who are students at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Misoouri, encountering police at an Independence area Applebee’s Family restaurant. In the caption above the video Brison writes “Hey facebook friends and family I need your help reposting this. Especially in black history month black people cannot continue to be treated this way. My friend and I were shopping at the independence center in independence, Missouri(Near Kansas City), when we were done we decided to get a bite to eat at Applebee’s. About an hour into out dinner we were approached by a Independence police officer, a mall cop, and the restaurant manager. We were told that we were accused of eating and not paying for CHICKEN the day before (dining and dashing). Mind you that we have proof that can show our whereabouts and it’s not even in our character to steal. After being mocked, humiliated, and embarrassed we were asked to pay for our food, leave, and not come back. After leaving, calls were made to the restaurant and the manager stated that our accuser remembered that there was a SKINNY girl and a girl who wore MAKEUP. In 2018 is this really what we’re debased to? Our weight and whether or not we wore makeup. She could not recognize any facial features or any defining characteristics . This is a clear example of RACIAL PROFILING that should not be stood for. Just because we are black does not mean we are all criminals and I will not be treated as such.”

Brison’s commentary is needed to give context to what actual occurred in the video, because where the clip starts doesn’t necessarily give a clear picture of what’s happening. The young ladies make it clear that they haven’t been to the restaurant, state they haven’t done anything, and at one point just wanted to pay for their food and leave. Mean while the Independence police officer who is accompanied by a mall security officer, and the restaurant manager appear to down play the situation and even jokingly stated, “make sure you get my good side” refering to the women filming the incident on their cellphones. He was even rebuffed by one of the women after he repeatedly tried to blow the incident off as not a big deal. The officer stated to the women, “You all are getting worked up for nothing.” One of the women replied, “this is too big of an accusation to call it nothing.”

Then one of the women telephoned a relative and explained to them their situation. The women repeatedly stated that they aren’t from the town and haven’t been to Applebee’s. As the phone is recording you can see what appears to be a white female standing next to the booth then walking away after stating that she is almost positive that it was these two women, which gives credibility to their claim of having been accused of not paying for a previous meal yesterday. One of the women begins to become visibly upset and starting crying. The video goes blank for periods of time, but their is still audio. The women (Asia) tells the women she telephoned to come to the restaurant because it wasn’t funny what was happening to them. The police officer is overheard stating “Wow! Is she always this emotional?” His demeanor was unprofessional, apathetic toward her emotions, and lacked any compassion at all for these young women despite only having mere allegations having been lodged against them.

While reading the Facebook thread where many followers of the story have commented, many took note of the officer’s disposition and the sarcastic comments he made, even though this young woman was visibly distraught. Its not a defining moment on race in that town, because with the high profile protest following police shootings of Michael Brown and Anthony Lamar Smith in the state of Missouri with both cops being found not guilty, racism in Missouri is common place. Followers should be more cognizant of the fact that white police officers are capable of displaying such apathy toward emotional black women. In fact some even believe that his tactics were purposeful, in hopes of getting the two women to become disruptive so that they could exact an arrest. We can see this clearly when the officer continuously ask the women “Am I yelling at you?” Neither of the two women were yelling, perhaps a little intense due to the accusations against them, but neither of them yelled at the police.

The women were upset and probably felt that they were going to be arrested. I’m not sure why the officer didn’t understand why the woman was so distraught. He appeared to have a serious problem with the fact that she was crying. He orders them to stop talking over him and to listen to him. Then he explains that the restaurant has requested that they pay for their meal leave and never come back. The women both agreed and appeared eager to get out of there after realizing they weren’t going to be arrested. There was back and forth about the check and Asia began crying uncontrollably, while the woman on the phone and her friend tried to calm her. You could here Crissy (on the phone) attempting to instruct Asia on what pertinent information she needed to obtain. Her crying for many was simply unbearable, and the officer’s sarcastic and carefree demeanor made it worst. The women left the restaurant upset and I’m sure embarrassed, and humiliated.

However, if we take a look at the entire situation we see that while they were accused of skipping out on a check the day prior, the women were seated, had their order taken, and served by the wait staff. It wasn’t until an hour into their meal that they were approached by the police regarding the theft accusation. Let’s face it, none of the followers of this story were there during this incident, don’t know if the women did in fact commit theft of food the day before, but we have to admit, if the allegations were in fact true, these two women are probably two of the most dumbest criminals ever. With that being said, its simply unconscionable and highly unlikely that they would be so brazen to reappear in the same restaurant the very next day. The waitress didn’t even seem certain herself if they were the correct women, and if so, why did they take their orders and serve them their food while possibly risking having them walk out without paying again. That’s just common sense, and they know the women shopuld have been approached about the theft at the door.

Also, was there surveillance footage that captured the two women who left without paying the day before, and was those images compare to the two women seated the day of this incident? If not, the cops and the restaurant risk potential liability based on the unfounded accusations alone. The cellphone video that the women captured will go a long way in a civil case to prove why punitive damages should be awarded to these ladies. If I’m a manager I’m not calling the cops on a customer based on speculation alone. I need proof that these are the right people simply to avoid civil liability against myself and the company. That clearly wasn’t the case in this instance. A waitress speculating that “I’m pretty sure its them” doesn’t pass the smell test. The waitress who made the accusation should be fired and the manager should be terminated as well. Even if the women did commit the theft, the restaurant nor the police presented evidence to prove that they did.

This entire incident appeared to be more about discouraging black patrons from dining at this establishment, because without definitive proof that these ladies had committed a crime, the cops should never have been notified. Making a customer feel like they’re about to get arrested is grounds for a very good lawsuit. These kind of practices may even be more widespread and not necessarily isolated to this case. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this was a trend by black patrons at this establishment to walk out without paying for food, but like Alexis Brison stated in her commentary to the video, “Just because she’s black doesn’t make her a criminal,” and restaurants and other businesses must be certain that they are accurate when bringing criminal charges against consumers who patronize their establishments. Which brings me to a vital point and a lesson that many of our young people can learn from this kind of experience. With the racial climate in this country, these kinds of racial flare ups are going to become increasingly more frequent. Therefor, we must be vigilant, remain calm, and be mindful to obtain as much pertinent information as possible.

I’m quite sure the young sister who was crying uncontrollably probably was very distraught and traumatized by this incident, it wasn’t helpful to allow anger, hurt, and frustration to consume her to the point that she lost focus on what was important at that moment. We must train our young people to be cooperative at all times (these two women were), especially when you know that you haven’t done anything wrong. Get names, times, and the date of the incident to have as reference later on. You might think that with the current racial climate in the state of Missouri alone, some might take pause to consider their actions out of fear of being labeled racist, but in this instance I believe they deemed these two young African American women as vulnerable and simply didn’t care nor feared potential consequences. Applebee’s must be held accountable to in sure there are no more “dining while black incidents in America.”

The Applebees Restaurant in question information:

Applebees Restaurant

Corporate Headquarters HQ

Adress:

8140 Ward Parkway

Kansas City, MO 64114

Phone Numbers:

Customer Service – 888-592-7753

Additionally, Dine Equity owns Applebees and IHOP, so don’t support IHOP either.

Dine Equity

50 North Brand Boulevard 7th Floor

Glendale, CA 91203

Corporate – 818-24-6055

 

The People’s Champion

I’m David Adams

David Adams

A Self proclaimed geek, Sympathizer for the homeless, Social Change Advocate, Crime Blogger, Promoter of Awareness for Missing and Exploited Children, and a mobile technology enthusiast. A recognized Journalist and Human Interest Writer championing the plight of the masses whom are without a voice of their own.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle Plus

Can you image spending hours of free time shopping at your local mall? Its a pass time shared by many American women for generations. At some point though, all of that foot work tends to wear down on consumers, and most venues have various places to eat within the facility, like a food court, and some malls even have family style restaurants where shoppers can sit in and dine. For two Kansas City, Missouri black women a trip to the mall and a dinner afterwards would prove to be very compelling, as to why the NAACP has declared the entire state a Missouri unsafe” for black Americans.

A video which is now going viral was posted on the Facebook page of Alexis Brison depicting two black women who are students at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Misoouri, encountering police at an Independence area Applebee’s Family restaurant. In the caption above the video Brison writes “Hey facebook friends and family I need your help reposting this. Especially in black history month black people cannot continue to be treated this way. My friend and I were shopping at the independence center in independence, Missouri(Near Kansas City), when we were done we decided to get a bite to eat at Applebee’s. About an hour into out dinner we were approached by a Independence police officer, a mall cop, and the restaurant manager. We were told that we were accused of eating and not paying for CHICKEN the day before (dining and dashing). Mind you that we have proof that can show our whereabouts and it’s not even in our character to steal. After being mocked, humiliated, and embarrassed we were asked to pay for our food, leave, and not come back. After leaving, calls were made to the restaurant and the manager stated that our accuser remembered that there was a SKINNY girl and a girl who wore MAKEUP. In 2018 is this really what we’re debased to? Our weight and whether or not we wore makeup. She could not recognize any facial features or any defining characteristics . This is a clear example of RACIAL PROFILING that should not be stood for. Just because we are black does not mean we are all criminals and I will not be treated as such.”

Brison’s commentary is needed to give context to what actual occurred in the video, because where the clip starts doesn’t necessarily give a clear picture of what’s happening. The young ladies make it clear that they haven’t been to the restaurant, state they haven’t done anything, and at one point just wanted to pay for their food and leave. Mean while the Independence police officer who is accompanied by a mall security officer, and the restaurant manager appear to down play the situation and even jokingly stated, “make sure you get my good side” refering to the women filming the incident on their cellphones. He was even rebuffed by one of the women after he repeatedly tried to blow the incident off as not a big deal. The officer stated to the women, “You all are getting worked up for nothing.” One of the women replied, “this is too big of an accusation to call it nothing.”

Then one of the women telephoned a relative and explained to them their situation. The women repeatedly stated that they aren’t from the town and haven’t been to Applebee’s. As the phone is recording you can see what appears to be a white female standing next to the booth then walking away after stating that she is almost positive that it was these two women, which gives credibility to their claim of having been accused of not paying for a previous meal yesterday. One of the women begins to become visibly upset and starting crying. The video goes blank for periods of time, but their is still audio. The women (Asia) tells the women she telephoned to come to the restaurant because it wasn’t funny what was happening to them. The police officer is overheard stating “Wow! Is she always this emotional?” His demeanor was unprofessional, apathetic toward her emotions, and lacked any compassion at all for these young women despite only having mere allegations having been lodged against them.

While reading the Facebook thread where many followers of the story have commented, many took note of the officer’s disposition and the sarcastic comments he made, even though this young woman was visibly distraught. Its not a defining moment on race in that town, because with the high profile protest following police shootings of Michael Brown and Anthony Lamar Smith in the state of Missouri with both cops being found not guilty, racism in Missouri is common place. Followers should be more cognizant of the fact that white police officers are capable of displaying such apathy toward emotional black women. In fact some even believe that his tactics were purposeful, in hopes of getting the two women to become disruptive so that they could exact an arrest. We can see this clearly when the officer continuously ask the women “Am I yelling at you?” Neither of the two women were yelling, perhaps a little intense due to the accusations against them, but neither of them yelled at the police.

The women were upset and probably felt that they were going to be arrested. I’m not sure why the officer didn’t understand why the woman was so distraught. He appeared to have a serious problem with the fact that she was crying. He orders them to stop talking over him and to listen to him. Then he explains that the restaurant has requested that they pay for their meal leave and never come back. The women both agreed and appeared eager to get out of there after realizing they weren’t going to be arrested. There was back and forth about the check and Asia began crying uncontrollably, while the woman on the phone and her friend tried to calm her. You could here Crissy (on the phone) attempting to instruct Asia on what pertinent information she needed to obtain. Her crying for many was simply unbearable, and the officer’s sarcastic and carefree demeanor made it worst. The women left the restaurant upset and I’m sure embarrassed, and humiliated.

However, if we take a look at the entire situation we see that while they were accused of skipping out on a check the day prior, the women were seated, had their order taken, and served by the wait staff. It wasn’t until an hour into their meal that they were approached by the police regarding the theft accusation. Let’s face it, none of the followers of this story were there during this incident, don’t know if the women did in fact commit theft of food the day before, but we have to admit, if the allegations were in fact true, these two women are probably two of the most dumbest criminals ever. With that being said, its simply unconscionable and highly unlikely that they would be so brazen to reappear in the same restaurant the very next day. The waitress didn’t even seem certain herself if they were the correct women, and if so, why did they take their orders and serve them their food while possibly risking having them walk out without paying again. That’s just common sense, and they know the women shopuld have been approached about the theft at the door.

Also, was there surveillance footage that captured the two women who left without paying the day before, and was those images compare to the two women seated the day of this incident? If not, the cops and the restaurant risk potential liability based on the unfounded accusations alone. The cellphone video that the women captured will go a long way in a civil case to prove why punitive damages should be awarded to these ladies. If I’m a manager I’m not calling the cops on a customer based on speculation alone. I need proof that these are the right people simply to avoid civil liability against myself and the company. That clearly wasn’t the case in this instance. A waitress speculating that “I’m pretty sure its them” doesn’t pass the smell test. The waitress who made the accusation should be fired and the manager should be terminated as well. Even if the women did commit the theft, the restaurant nor the police presented evidence to prove that they did.

This entire incident appeared to be more about discouraging black patrons from dining at this establishment, because without definitive proof that these ladies had committed a crime, the cops should never have been notified. Making a customer feel like they’re about to get arrested is grounds for a very good lawsuit. These kind of practices may even be more widespread and not necessarily isolated to this case. I wouldn’t even be surprised if this was a trend by black patrons at this establishment to walk out without paying for food, but like Alexis Brison stated in her commentary to the video, “Just because she’s black doesn’t make her a criminal,” and restaurants and other businesses must be certain that they are accurate when bringing criminal charges against consumers who patronize their establishments. Which brings me to a vital point and a lesson that many of our young people can learn from this kind of experience. With the racial climate in this country, these kinds of racial flare ups are going to become increasingly more frequent. Therefor, we must be vigilant, remain calm, and be mindful to obtain as much pertinent information as possible.

I’m quite sure the young sister who was crying uncontrollably probably was very distraught and traumatized by this incident, it wasn’t helpful to allow anger, hurt, and frustration to consume her to the point that she lost focus on what was important at that moment. We must train our young people to be cooperative at all times (these two women were), especially when you know that you haven’t done anything wrong. Get names, times, and the date of the incident to have as reference later on. You might think that with the current racial climate in the state of Missouri alone, some might take pause to consider their actions out of fear of being labeled racist, but in this instance I believe they deemed these two young African American women as vulnerable and simply didn’t care nor feared potential consequences. Applebee’s must be held accountable to in sure there are no more “dining while black incidents in America.”

The Applebees Restaurant in question information:

Applebees Restaurant

Corporate Headquarters HQ

Adress:

8140 Ward Parkway

Kansas City, MO 64114

Phone Numbers:

Customer Service – 888-592-7753

Additionally, Dine Equity owns Applebees and IHOP, so don’t support IHOP either.

Dine Equity

50 North Brand Boulevard 7th Floor

Glendale, CA 91203

Corporate – 818-24-6055

 

The People’s Champion

I’m David Adams

David Adams

A Self proclaimed geek, Sympathizer for the homeless, Social Change Advocate, Crime Blogger, Promoter of Awareness for Missing and Exploited Children, and a mobile technology enthusiast. A recognized Journalist and Human Interest Writer championing the plight of the masses whom are without a voice of their own.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:
TwitterFacebookLinkedInGoogle Plus

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