Black Man Kicked Out Of Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt Shop Because Employees Were “Scared” Of Him.

Civil rights activists protested outside a Menchie’s frozen yogurt shop after the owner kicked out a black man because employees were “scared” of him.

On Tuesday, victim Byron Ragland and representatives of the Seattle King County NAACP met outside the Kirkland, Wash., Menchie’s store to demand further action, despite owner Ramon Cruz’s apology. “Mr. Ragland is here today to tell his story … this is America’s story, this is the black community’s story,” NAACP President Gerald Hankerson said, according to Seattle news outlet My Northwest. “This is an issue we’ve been talking about for years but it took this incident to bring us out here to Menchie’s today.”

Since the incident on Nov. 7, Ragland and his family have barely slept. “Let me tell you what I think we should do, what is going to make me feel safer in this community, let me tell you what I think is going to inspire change,” the nine-year Air Force veteran said, according to My Northwest. “I think we need to make sure Ramon Cruz is unable to renew his business license here. And when the lease for this store is up, we need to make sure that Byron Ragland has the capital and resources to purchase this Menchie’s and the two other restaurants he owns in this community. That would be a good place to start. That would make me feel a little bit better. That would be a look in the right direction and that is how you punish white supremacy and anti-black behavior — you hit it hard and you hit it fast right in its pockets.”

Ragland said, “They are gonna say he should be able to go on with his life. You know what I say? I say you cannot allow white supremacy to scurry away in the corner and lick its wounds and regroup. You got to keep your foot on white supremacy’s neck. You got to grind your boot into white supremacy’s throat until you hear it stop breathing. And when it’s looking up at you begging for mercy, you show it none. Because over the last 400 years, it hasn’t shown you any. Those are my intentions, that’s my agenda. I ask: How many allies do I still have left?”

After sitting at a Menchie’s table for 30 minutes, two police officers arrived. “They asked me to leave,” Ragland told the newspaper. “They asked for my ID. They told me the manager had been watching me and wanted me to move along.”

According to an audio of the 911 call, Cruz, who was not in the store that day, received a phone call from his employees who were concerned about Ragland’s presence. “There is one guy who is sitting in the corner, hasn’t bought anything, he’s been sitting there for over 30 minutes,” Cruz told the dispatcher. “They’re kinda scared because he looks suspicious. He just keeps looking at the phone and looking at them.”

Cruz said that his all-female staff is “very cautious” due to past incidents involving robberies and homeless people shooting drugs in the restroom, and requested that police tell Ragland to “move along.” He also stated that Ragland was alone in the store.

You can read the full and complete story by clicking here. 

This is definitely sad to say the least, but not surprising. I guess despite all the random mass shootings done by white men, they're still looked at as not a threat. For the last few months Black people have been dealing with false 911 calls against them and it's sickening. I wish all the best for Ragland and his family.