Jay Z Pressured To Cut Ties With Barneys After Profiling Incident

Jay Z, if you were the young black guy from Marcy before the fame, would you be allowed to walk in Barneys New York?
That’s the question many are asking today, after Barneys was involved in not one, but two profiling incidents involving African-Americans. Earlier this week, a 19-year-old college student was approached by police, and arrested after he bought a $349 Ferragamo belt from the department store. According to the kid, named Trayon Christian, he spotted the belt on Juelz Santana and saved up his money from his part-time job so that he could purchase it, however, after he bought the belt from Barneys, the store clerk called police and told them that he didn’t look as though he could afford it. Trayon was questioned by detectives, who believed he may have used a fraudulent card and ID, and he even spent a few hours in jail until police verified that all of his info was correct and he was later let go. He has since returned the belt to the store and filed a lawsuit.
After Trayon’s story made its rounds in the press, a 21-year-old black woman named Kayla Phillips came forward and said that she too was stopped by NYPD shortly after purchasing a $2,500 Céline bag from the store back in February. Kayla had just opened up a bank account with her tax return and used a temporary Bank of America debit card that did not have her name on it, which made the store clerk suspicious. After she was approached by cops and roughed up on the streets, she was eventually able to show them a new card, bearing her name which had arrived in the mail, and was let go.
Now, what does this have to do with Jay Z you may ask.
Just weeks ago, it was announced that Jay had partnered with Barneys to release a limited edition holiday line, with 25 percent of the proceeds going towards the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation.
After both profiling incidents hit the news, a Change.org petition was created, lobbying for Jay to dissociate himself with a brand that has been accused of discriminating against black shoppers. According to the petition:
Right as Jay Z prepares to roll out a new partnership with Barneys New York for the holiday shopping season, I’ve been disappointed to hear new allegations about how the retailer treats young black consumers
We can no longer tolerate blatant prejudice and discrimination. It is clear that the minority buying power is devalued by some. We must withdraw support to those who will not support us.
I’ve been a lifelong Jay Z fan. Jay Z is currently in partnership with Barneys New York for the release of his holiday collection — called “A New York Holiday” (or BNY SCC). Barneys lacks any connection with the black and hip-hop community. And without his vast wealth and brand power, they would see him the same as they see Trayon Christian. Jay Z should be appalled by Barneys actions, and withdraw all support from them. If he does this, he will send a clear message to all corporations that are likeminded, that this behavior cannot be tolerated any longer.