Jay-Z defends deal with store accused of profiling

[alp227]

Last edited Sun Oct 27, 2013, 06:04 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) — Jay-Z — under increasing pressure to back out of a collaboration with the luxury store Barneys New York after it was accused of racially profiling two black customers — said Saturday he's being unfairly "demonized" for just waiting to hear all of the facts.

The rap mogul made his first statement about the controversy in a posting on his website. He has come under fire for remaining silent as news surfaced this week that two young black people said they were profiled by Barneys after they purchased expensive items from their Manhattan store.

An online petition and Twitter messages from fans have been circulating this week, calling on the star to bow out of his upcoming partnership with Barneys for the holiday season, which will have the store selling items by top designers, inspired by Jay-Z, with some of the proceeds going to his charity. He is also working with the store to create its artistic holiday window display.

But Jay-Z — whose real name is Shawn Carter — defended himself, saying that he hasn't spoken about it because he's still trying to figure out exactly what happened.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/sharpton-threatens-store-boycott-over-profile-suit

[greiner3]

1. Damn;

You'd think ex Senator, Barney Frank, would have more of a Progressive business practice!

[Kingofalldems]

5. Say what?

As far as I can tell he has no association with Barney's.

[DWinNJ]

6. I think there is a connection

with George W's dog

[alp227]

7. I thought Barney was NOT supposed to incite conflict!

[KeepItReal]

28. "Not that Barney... A much more expensive Barney" - Adam Sandler in Big Daddy

eom

[Cha]

2. That was an interesting article with Jay Z and all.. thanks alp

[Judi Lynn]

3. Barneys has it coming, if any store ever did. They owe a BIG apology,

and restitution for the unbelievable insult to the harassed, humiliated, abused customers.

They need to lose their business every day they don't come forward with that apology and a promise to stop terrorizing the public.

Eat your merchandise and die, Barneys.

[olddad56]

4. I don't think that a boycott is the answer....

In fact, I think that is what Barney's would want. How about the opposite. How about a few thousand people of color go browsing for bargains at Barney's and clog the isles. A boycott would not impact the business from the 1%ers, but the opposite would do the trick.

[durablend]

8. I doubt they'd see it that way

More likely they'd consider it to be a riot.

[Xyzse]

24. That's true

For a store like that.

[appacom]

9. Boycotting Barney's helps no one

Mainstream media efforts to railroad JayZ into breaking his contract with Barney's, or Sharpton's threatened boycott, will do nothing to help Black people. Jay is making nothing personally off the deal which yields 25% of all profits to his college fund for poor kids. Trust Jay to negotiate a larger percentage for the kids.

If Barney's is boycotted, then every other retailer in this country ought to be boycotted because they are all guilty of treating Black consumers badly. I've been followed around in KMart.

I trust Jay to to get that $$$ change, because that's the only way possible to get social change.

[BronxBoy]

10. Please.....

Muhammad Ali made change, So did Harry Belafonte, Eartha Kitt and a host of other celebrities that raised their voice to help to protest the treatment of Black folk in this country even though it meant professional and commercial harm. Just curious.....What color are you? Black folk....especially those who know of the Marcy projects and the roots and circumstances of where Jay Z came from have been calling him out on his mealy mouthed response to this.

This is the same guy that tried to co-opt the Occupy movement to line his own pockets. Fuck Jay-Z. He has a hundred ways to raise money. He can't take a stance? Fuck him and all his apologists

[appacom]

15. For 50 years I've fought racism, sexism, classism and homophobia on the front lines -

as a grassroots activist/organizer - doing everything from sit-ins in high school and college to heading not-for-profits that leveraged resources to poor communities all over this country, so I don't need some kid from the Bronx with a limited knowledge of our history questioning my Blackness or commitment to change.

Go read Tom Wolfe's short story, "Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers". I got zero respect for folks who shoot off their mouths and accomplish nothing.

JayZ needs to get every dollar he can from Barney's for the kids - that's the stance he needs to take. Hit 'em in the pocketbook, that's where it hurts, and that's the only thing that will precipitate change at Barney's, Macy's, etc.

When you've had to defend yourself by drawing a gun on white racists attempting to burn down your corn fields because of your activism, then come and talk to me about being Black and creating change.

[BronxBoy]

16. Aren't you special!

I'm 55 years old and black. Hardly a kid last I checked. And I have lived through some pretty awful racial events

I stand by what I say. Fuck Jay-Z

[appacom]

17. Living through something is one thing, doing something about it is another

Bitching ain't good enough.

[BronxBoy]

20. And you can tell...

What I am or am not doing from my posts? Well good for you!!!!!!
I just love folks who can determine the total sum of a persons life from a 2 line post on the internet

[appacom]

21. You're not that hard to read

[jessie04]

19. Fuck Jay-Z ?

Never thought I would see that here.

[RandiFan1290]

34. You haven't been here that long

[pitbullgirl1965]

23. My thoughts exactly

This is the same guy that tried to co-opt the Occupy movement to line his own pockets. Fuck Jay-Z. He has a hundred ways to raise money. He can't take a stance? Fuck him and all his apologists[/ia]

[gvstn]

11. I'm white and have been followed around in department stores.

About 20 years ago a decision was made by many stores to trade sales clerks for undercover security staff. There are plenty of "secret shoppers" and "eyes in the sky" but no one to actually help you find what you want and tend to the purchase. No wonder people get mad and walk out with things.

This idea of calling the cops after completing a purchase seems absurd. What the hell are they thinking? I say a boycott is in order--this behaviour is disgusting.

[tblue37]

38. It seems the salespersons did not actually call the cops--though

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they gave the store's (apparently numerous) undercover cops a look that signaled
suspicion of those two young shoppers and that that is why the cops followed them out of the store to arrest them.

[gvstn]

39. I've been trying to figure out what is in it for Barney's

It just makes no sense to call the cops after completing a purchase. As a retailer you are asking for trouble accusing someone without proof. Now, they use the cops to do their dirty work, or the cops are doing this on their own ala Stop and Frisk (some stops happen a block or two away). But a clerk would just refuse to accept a card they feared was fraudulent, not accept it then call the cops. (I see where you say the clerks didn't call the cops but someone had to.)

My thought yesterday was what about store security? I wonder if instead of targeting black shoppers this might be about targeting black store clerks. I would be very curious as to the race of the various clerks involved. I'm thinking a young black clerk is being watched for "integrity" and a young black person buys an expensive item from this clerk. The store wants to see that the purchase was correctly priced and no favors were done between clerk and customer. (Much as a fast food restaurant might double check that a teenage clerk isn't giving his/her friends a discount on their meals.) This is the only plausible reason I can think of for a major retailer to invite so much bad publicity. I've never heard of anything like this before, except I remember a large computer store stopping customers to check items against their receipt upon exiting to make sure everything was rung up correctly. I think B.J.'s does the same thing. I didn't like it at those stores and only went their when work required it. I would hate to think that some shoppers have to deal with this everywhere/every day because of their race.

[tblue37]

42. If the cops are already undercover in the store, though, as

it appears they were, no one has to actually call them. The cashier could give them a look, of corse, that would prompt them to follow and accost the customer--or the cops themselves could make that choice after noticing the salesperson asking for extra ID and seeming suspicious.

on edit: Such a scenario would give the store "plausible deniability," and that is how they are using it, saying, "The salesperson never called the police."

[gvstn]

40. I may be wrong in my previous hypothesis.

Barney's seems pretty clear that neither the clerk nor security contacted NYPD.

“Our preliminary investigation has concluded that in both of these instances, no one from Barneys New York raised any issue with these purchases,” Lee said.

“No one from Barneys brought them to the attention of our internal security, and no one from Barneys reached out to external authorities.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/barneys-offers-sympathy-racial-profiling-flap-denies-store-role-article-1.1500226

So the question is, Since when did NYPD officers walk around stores looking for "suspicious" shoppers who actually purchase goods? I've never heard of such a thing. Is this Bloomberg on steroids?

[FSogol]

25. LOL.

[LanternWaste]

26. I don't think that accepting money via the mechanism a thinly-veiled tolerance of bigotry

I don't think that accepting money to be used for charitable works via the mechanism of a thinly-veiled tolerance of bigotry is "only way possible" to achieve social change.

[Link Speed]

27. Barney's isn't worried. Those who would boycott

are not Barney's demo.

That's like me boycotting WalMart, Ross or Safeway when I would never shop there otherwise.

[KinMd]

12. Is this behavior typical in Barney's, or was it a couple of rogue employees?

I can't afford to even window shop at Barneys.

[erpowers]

13. A Little Thin Skinned

For a rapper Jay-Z has thin skin. I would have expected a rapper, especially one that puts lyrics like those put out by Jay-Z, to be more able to take/handle the slight criticism he received over this issue. Most of the discussions I have seen about this issue have not been asking Jay-Z to end his deal with Barneys, but to make a statement that he would sit down and talk with the leadership of Barneys in order to find out what happened and prevent it from happening again.

For him to put out a seemingly angry statement claiming he was being "demonized" and complaining about his picture being on the cover of a local news paper is fairly silly. Most people were saying if he did not make a statement on this issue he might lose credibility with urban youth. Even if some people claimed he was not commenting because he was more concerned with making money off of his Barneys deal than how the store treated people I would not say that rises to the level of demonization.

[BronxBoy]

30. He's full of shit.....

He's whining because a lot of Black folk are calling him out.

I really understand the risks that public figures, Black or otherwise, take when they wade into a public controversy. But if Jay-Z with all his money and fame and the fact that the audience that got him to where he is today can't take a stand then why should folks support him. Reminds me of the old Michael Jordan adage "Some of my fans are also Republican" so he sits on the sidelines while Jesse Helms runs a "White Hands" commercial and defeats a Black candidate. that would have supported liberal causes

But let him get into any kind of trouble. He'll pull an OJ and be whining about how folks should support him.

[flvegan]

14. A $350 belt? Trayon Christian's penis must be tiny.

Sorry, I was just down in the automotive forum where I was learning that anyone that buys anything that is in excess has a tiny penis. Do carry on.

However, as to Jay-Z, I give him credit. More folks should gather all the facts before making definitive comments and/or moves that may cause hardships to others.

[jessie04]

18. Everyone buys a $ 350.00 belt , no?

[appacom]

22. The headline here is misleading -

Jay defended his right to gather information before taking action; he didn't defend the deal. He simply stated the conditions of the deal when signed - that 25% of all profits go to educating kids, with 0$ going to him personally.

Had Rev. Sharpton gotten the facts first, he'd never have been ensnarled in the infamous Tawana Brawley case.

JayZ isn't the enemy here, contrary to mainstream media's manipulation of the masses.

[BronxBoy]

29. Oh Please.....

And if White people had taken Black people seriously, the NJ turnpike profiling case would have never happened. Those troopers would have been dealt with long before some young Black men in a van got shot up on the way to a basketball tryout at a Christian college. I love when White people bring up Tawana Brawley and completely forget the hundreds of cases that Sharpton brought attention to that had merit and rang of truth and which not many White folks paid attention to.

Fuck Jay-Z. We Black folks are calling him out because he has the wherewithal to take a stand and he cops out to his pockets.

[appacom]

31. So now you're "we Black people?"

You don't speak for me, or anyone else i know in the business of doing real work toward change. Go back and read my earlier responses to your short-sighted comments. Go back and read Tom Wolfe's story," Mau Mauing the Flak Catcher." You're the guy mouthing off outside the door when the flak catcher makes the telephone call dismissing all your sound and fury with ""don't worry, he won't be back."

No more time wasted on you.

[BronxBoy]

33. Yo Mr Self Righteous

As I pointed out earlier in this thread, you don't know a fucking thing about me. The fact that you continuously insulted me and saw fit to rave all your so-called goods deeds tells me all I need to know about you.

Yeah I could be a asshole or I could be a Black person who has done far more than you ever have done for your so-called cause. But of course, you'll never know because you'd rather jump to conclusions and call names rather engage me in a meaningful dialogue on a fucking DISCUSSION board. Aside from my snarky reply to your preachy post calling me a mealy mouthed kid from the Bronx (which incidentally about which you were so wrong, it tells me all I need to know about your powers of observation), I have not insulted you, told you you know nothing about our struggles or otherwise made some empty proclamations based upon your empty condescending posts.

And yes I can use the term "we Black folk". It's something we do in our community all the time.

And one last thing: Fuck Jay-Z

[appacom]

35. JayZ must've really hurt your feelings.

If all you've got is "fuck Jay-Z," then you're not much use in My community.

Stay well, and keep mau-mauing. You're the kind of boy that Barney's likes.

[jessie04]

36. Yeah...you seem to have a problem with Jay-Z.

WTF has he done to you?

[BronxBoy]

37. I do Jessie and for the same reason a lot of Black people do....

He's all about the 'hood and down with the cause as long as it doesn't hurt his bottom line. I think he's a materialistic fuck who's all about a cause as long as he can profit from it. A lot of us remember the crap he pulled with the Occupy movement and how he seemed all about it as long as he could sell t-shirts and make money.

I am a farmer. I do a lot of work with young, beginning farmers and a lot of work with farmers of color of all ages. A little while ago, I had the honor of being asked to speak at the annual conference a black farmers cooperative in the South. If you don't know, along with Black churches, farmer cooperatives were at the vanguard at the civil rights struggle. This particular cooperative has been around since the mid-sixties and some new younger Black farmers are struggling to breathe new life into it.

During my time there, I spoke with some of the older members, people in their 70s and 80s, who told me what many of them went through simply because they asked to treated fairly by government agencies or by White farmers they did business with and lost their land or their lives simply for speaking up. If they weren't killed or displaced from their land, their children didn't take up a profession that they were proud of because it was dangerous or caused them to seek brighter futures in the industrial sectors of the northeast and midwest. I'm 55 and my experiences of the civil rights era were shaped by a more urban perspective. But even then, I saw growing up how people who stood up something right got hurt or penalized for it.

I do a lot of work with building local food systems including how to increase access to underserved communities. A lot of the same barriers that faced farmers 50 years ago are still present. They may not be as insidious or visible but they are barriers none the less. Farmers in the Pigford case which was a landmark case against the USDA for discrimination have been fucking dying waiting for payouts from a case that was settled DECADES ago.

So a lot of Black folk, myself included, get really frustrated at Black people who have the means and voice to make a stand for social justice but look only to line their pockets. So while kudos to Jay-Z for what he has achieved, fuck him if he can't take a stand for a community that has supported him. And if he feels that, Hey I don't owe anyone anything, cool. But don't go whining to the media when people call you out on it. He had no problem coming to the defense of the "1%" but he needs time to gather his thoughts on this issue?

OK. And thank you for asking me why I felt the way I do instead of giving me a lecture on how I should feel

[U4ikLefty]

41. A black activist slamming Al Sharpton

and bringing up Tawana Brawley?

Hmmmmm

[appacom]

43. Yup, I dare bring it up cause its true and damned relevant

Black activists aren't supposed to tell the truth? No one respects all Rev. Sharpton's contributions more than I, but the fact is, he fucked up big time when he spoke out - pushed, no doubt, by the clamoring crowd - before taking the time to gather facts. The point being, JayZ had a right to take the time he needed to assess the situation before making an uninformed decision. Maybe he learned from Rev. Sharpton that its stupid to do otherwise.

[sendero]

32. Don't hold your breath..

.... there isn't much to this story that hasn't already been revealed. Mr. should just admit that he doesn't give two shits about how poor people are treated.