BLACK COLLEGE STUDENT ARRESTED FOR BUYING A DESIGNER BELT

Picture Courtesy the Huff's Post

The Post reports that 19-year-old Trayon Christian, a college student from Queens was at the Barneys New York store to  buy a $350 Salvatore Ferragamo belt, but following the purchase, he was stopped by undercover officers that were allegedly called on by a Barneys sales clerk who believed the transaction was fraudulent.


Despite showing the officers the receipt for the belt, his ID and the debit card used, "Christian was told that his identification was false and that he could not afford to make such an expensive purchase.

He has since filed a lawsuit against the luxury and the New York Police Department. The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, states that the NYC College of Technology freshman was asked by the cops: “how a young black man such as himself could afford to purchase such an expensive belt?” He was then handcuffed taken to a local precinct.

Despite showing the officers the receipt for the belt, his ID and the debit card used, "Christian was told that his identification was false and that he could not afford to make such an expensive purchase, a clear case of racism and colour discrimination.

Is it a crime to be Black?