Black man accuses Duane Reade of racial profiling
A comedy writer says he was racially profiled at a New York City Duane Reade because he is black.
In a Twitter thread that has since gone viral, Dewayne Perkins shared video footage of his visit to a Duane Reade drugstore in Woodside, Queens, on Saturday evening. The video shows Perkins, who writes for Netflix’s The Break With Michelle Wolf, roaming three separate aisles in the store. Each time he turns into a new aisle, an automated voice recording sounds, alerting employees that “customer service” is needed in that particular section.
Tonight I was racially profiled at the @DuaneReade in Woodside, Queens outside of the 61st Woodside stop on the 7 train. I recorded to prove that it doesn’t matter how successful I become or how non threatening I try to appear, my skin color is seen as a threat. pic.twitter.com/fs8QDhPP4I
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
After observing that the customer-service alert is being set off only in the aisles he is walking along while other people shop in silence, Perkins asks to speak to a store manager. As the video shows, the manager explains that the sensors automatically go off and denies Perkins’s claims that he is “being followed.” Perkins points out that if the sensors are automatic, they would be triggered when other shoppers turn into an aisle, not just him.
Every time I’ve gone into the store I would see a person following me and then I noticed that every time I went into an aisle an announcement was made that “customer service was needed in that aisle.” After the 3rd time I asked to speak to a manager. pic.twitter.com/jMObHZlKOM
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
He said “there are sensors in each aisle that would trigger an announcement” but there were people all over the store and not a single senor was triggered by them. He was literally trying to gaslight me into believing this sensor story. pic.twitter.com/KG5PKpcubX
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
At that point a fellow shopper, who is a black woman, approaches Perkins and shares that she has experienced similar treatment at Duane Reade. The store employees continue to deny any racial profiling.
That’s when another black woman came to say that she ALSO gets followed in that store. This is absolutely unacceptable. I can’t even walk into a store to get a bottle of water without getting racially profiled. pic.twitter.com/RwT2fh36cS
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
In subsequent tweets, Perkins blasts his experience at the store as “unacceptable,” adding that he chose not to involve the police because “in that store my skin color got me followed, but with the police, it could get me killed.”
So now I’m just on twitter fighting back tears because I’m so mad and I don’t even know what to do to change any of this. I have to walk by everyday on the way to the train and just deal with the fact that that is the store that follows black people around and that’s fucked up.
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
After Perkins’s story went viral — with many, including boss Michelle Wolf, offering their support and voicing outrage at his treatment — he returned to Twitter to add that other black people may have fared far worse in the situation.
I’m completely fine. My issue isn’t being followed around a store. This just sheds light on the false narrative of respectability politics. The idea that being a “good black” will somehow save you from discrimination. I can’t stop thinking about people who have it way worst.
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
I recognize my privilege and I will definitely be ok. But what happens to the black person who gets the cops called on them because of a situation like this? This may seem like a “first world problem” on a micro level but the macro implications are what’s important.
— Dewayne “Not Dwayne” Perkins (@DewaynePerkins) July 15, 2018
Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to both Perkins and Duane Reade, which is owned by Walgreens.
“We utilize automatic motion sensors in some of our Duane Reade locations in order to provide better customer service,” a Walgreens spokesperson responded. “While sensors can also help as an enhanced security measure, they are prompted by motion only, and have no manual function to generate a customer service message over the intercom. Each sensor resets after a period of time, thus they are not triggered every time a customer walks down the aisle.
“We’re aware of the video and have reached out to the customer, as we want everyone to feel welcome and treated with respect at our stores.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
After calling 911 on black family, Subway employee is placed on leave
#SummerJobWhileBlack: Police called over ‘suspicious’ tween delivering newspapers
This girl’s summer camp forced her to remove her braids for ‘mandatory hair washing’
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