Black man sues Whole Foods for alleged racial profiling
North Carolina man says Whole Foods treated him in 'discriminatory' manner
A Black man in North Carolina is suing Whole Foods for alleged racial profiling after he said a store manager asked him to pay for his meal before he ate but did not approach any White customers about the same issue.
WHOLE FOODS BOYCOTT GROWS AFTER STORE SENDS EMPLOYEES IN BLACK LIVES MATTER MASKS HOME
Joshua Brown said the incident happened in 2017 at a Whole Foods in Charlotte, the Charlotte Observer reported. Brown's suit claims store manager Tim Burroughs broke store policy by asking Brown to pay for his meal before eating when Whole Foods allows customers to eat and then pay for their meal when they check out with their grocery items, according to the Charlotte Observer.
PROTESTS OUTSIDE WHOLE FOODS CONTINUE AFTER WORKERS FILE DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT
Brown says Burroughs called 911, and two law enforcement officers told him to pay "in a provoking manner," according to the filing cited by the Charlotte Observer. Brown claims Whole Foods treated him in an "irrational and discriminatory" manner.
A child holds a Black Lives Matter sign in front of Whole Foods Market in Cambridge, Mass., on July 18, 2020. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Brown is being represented by Charlotte attorney Ryon Smalls, according to the Charlotte Observer.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
News of Brown's suit comes as protests outside a Cambridge, Massachusetts, Whole Foods are in their fourth week after several employees said they were sent home for refusing to take off Black Lives Matter face masks. The employees have now filed a federal class-action lawsuit against the grocery chain.
FOX Business' inquiries to Whole Foods and Smalls were not immediately returned.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS