Lawsuit Claims Macy's Has Private Jails For Black Shoppers [Picture]

According to a complaint obtained by Consumerist,  a woman filed a class action lawsuit alleging that the department store unfairly targets minority shoppers.

“This coercive collection practice or scheme has become so profitable that Macy’s…has dedicated an entire unit within its existing store, which operates like a typical jail, equipped with holding cells, where alleged shoplifters are held for hours on end, and are pressured, threatened, and often harassed until they find no reprieve but to make civil penalty payments to [Macy’s],” the suit states.

The plaintiff claims she was held against her will at Macy’s flagship Herald Square location in New York in July of 2014. While she was being held, the woman claims she was denied access to an attorney and before being turned over to police, forced to sign papers admitting guilt and made to pay a $100 fine.

Your Black World reported similar allegations against Macy’s in 2013.  The department store settled the discrimination lawsuit for $650,000 in 2014.

As part of the settlement agreement, Macy’s was required to appoint an independent expert on anti-discrimination laws, adopt new anti-profiling policies and provide additional training to employees.

Macy’s has denied the most recent allegations of racial discrimination.

“Our company takes great pride on the proactive steps we have taken in recent years as an industry leader in shopping equality,” the spokesperson said. “In fact, we sponsored a first-ever symposium hosted last fall at John Jay College by the Retail Council of New York State to discuss how all retailers can improve the shopping experience across all segments of the population.”    SOURCE