Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 12-25-18

National
Huntington Bank Apologizes For Calling Police On Black Man Trying To Cash His Paycheck
A bank in Cleveland, Ohio has apologized after its em- ployees called the police on a black man who was trying to cash his paycheck.
Paul McCowns, 30, told WOIO, a local CBS affiliate, that he had been working for an electric com- pany for “about three weeks” when he went to a Huntington Bank branch to cash his check.
Despite complying with the bank’s policy of providing two forms of identification and a fingerprint, tellers questioned whether McCowns’ check was legitimate. Following unsuc- cessful attempts to reach his employer, the tellers secretly phoned 911 and said that Mc- Cowns had attempted to “cash a check and the check is fraud- ulent.”
McCowns recounted the “highly embarrassing moment” he was met by authorities as he left the bank. The officers handcuffed him and put him in the back of a police car.
“The person who made that phone call ― that manager, that teller ― whoever made that phone call, I feel as though they were judging,” he said.
In a statement provided to CNN, the Brooklyn Police De- partment said that McCowns was released after officers
PAUL MCCOWNS
made contact with his em- ployer and “confirmed with the account holder the check was valid.”
The bank later apologized for the “extremely unfortunate event.”
“We accept responsibility for contacting the police as well as our own interactions with Mr. McCowns,” Huntington Bank said in a statement. “Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry. We hold ourselves ac- countable to the highest ethical standards in how we operate, hire and train colleagues, and interact with the communities we have the privilege of serv- ing.”
9-Year-Old Falsely Accused Of Groping White Woman Says He ‘Felt Humiliated’
Jeremiah Harvey, the 9- year-old boy accused of grop- ing a woman at a Brooklyn convenience store told “Good Morning America” that he was deeply embar- rassed by the allegation, which was proved false.
The incident was the latest to go viral on social media in which a white person called the police on a black person over apparently innocuous actions.
“I’ve had this lately on my mind,” Harvey, who is black, said while seated next to his mother in the tearful interview that aired Friday.
“I felt humiliated,” he added.
The incident happened when Harvey was at the convenience store with his mother, Someko Bellille, and his younger sister. Sur- veillance video showed the woman, Teresa Klein, who is white, leaning over a counter when the boy’s back- pack seems to graze her rear, his hands clearly not touch- ing her.
But Klein thought Har- vey groped her and appeared
Jeremiah Harvey, 9, was ac- cused of grouping a woman.
to call police. In video of the incident, she is seen shouting into her phone that she had been “sexually assaulted by a child.”
The video, which by- stander Jason Littlejohn posted to Facebook, pans to show Harvey and his sister crying on the sidewalk next to their mother. Dubbing Klein “Cornerstore Caroline,” a nickname in line with others intended to deride the parties who call police for trivial rea- sons, Littlejohn’s video has
Teresa Klein accused the 9- year-old of grouping her in a convenience store.
racked up more than 8 mil- lion views.
Bellille explained that, as the family walked away, her son was afraid police in the neighborhood were going to “take” his mother.
Klein later apologized after seeing the surveillance tape.
Teresa Klein apologized for falsely accusing a 9-year- old black child of groping her, but her accusations and 911 call have attracted national attention.
New Jersey Referee Suspended After Forcing Black Wrestler To Have Haircut
A New Jersey high school referee was suspended after a video showed a black wrestler being forced to have his hair cut when told he would have to forfeit a match if he re- fused, according to state ath- letic officials on Saturday.
The video, which was up- loaded on Twitter on Thurs- day by a reporter from SNJ Today newspaper, showed Andrew Johnson of Buena Regional High School in Buena, New Jersey, getting his dreadlocks hairstyle cut off by a school official. Mo- ments later, Johnson, who is black, won his match against his opponent.
A referee named Alan Maloney, who is white, ap- parently had ordered John- son to cut off his hair, according to local media re- ports. The clip went viral on Friday, with many social media users condemning the school for allowing Mal- oney to make the order, call- ing it racist and discriminatory.
“Deeply disturbed that Andrew Johnson, a stu-
Andrew Johnson having his dreadlocks being cut before the match and Alan Maloney the referee who insisted he cut them.
dent at Buena Regional H. S., was forced to choose between keeping his dreadlocks and competing in a wrestling tournament,” wrote New Jer- sey Governor Phil Mur- phy, a democrat, on Twitter. “No student should have to needlessly choose between his or her identity & playing sports.”
Larry White, the execu- tive director of the New Jer- sey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), said the incident would be investigated by the
New Jersey Civil Rights divi- sion and the referee would not be assigned to future high school wrestling events in New Jersey until the review is complete.
“NJSIAA can confirm that those groups that assign high school wrestling referees in New Jersey will not assign the referee in question until this matter has been thor- oughly reviewed,” White said in a statement on Satur- day. “This will help to avoid disruption of events for stu- dent athletes.”
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