Banking While Black’ Cashing A Check Turns Into Handcuffs
Minnesota resident Joe Morrow and his encounter with law enforcement are going viral on social media this week. The news comes after the release of police body cam footage showed him being handcuffed inside a U.S. Bank branch while trying to cash his paycheck.
The 23-year-old told KTSP-TV that he had just finished a 12-hour shift at a grocery distributor in October when a manager was called over.
"They were all looking at me and just staring at me. And then looking at the check and then staring at me again, and I already know what they're thinking — that the check (is) fake," Morrow said in an interview with KTSP-TV of Minneapolis about the incident of "banking while Black."
"The manager? He came over and said, 'Joe Morrow? Your check (is) fake.' And I said, what?" Morrow replied. "He said, 'You people always coming in here with fake checks.'"
Police subsequently responded to the bank and were with Morrow for over 45 minutes. In the footage, Morrow is heard saying he's innocent.
"I work there, bro," Morrow says to the branch manager. "And I'm going to report you too, bro. This is racial."
The police officer is then heard threatening him with arrest, even though Morrow didn't raise his voice.
"Joe, I need you to calm down, first of all, OK? Don't say anything stupid because you're just going to get arrested for it," the officer says.
Morrow is then handcuffed after he stands up from a chair.
"I didn't threaten him. I got up, like, I'm mad," Morrow said. "The guy told the officer, can you get him out of my office? He might take something on my desk… that's when I got super mad. I'm going to touch something on your desk?"
The branch manager did not call Morrow's employer, United Natural Foods, Inc., to inquire if the check was real until police arrived and handcuffed Morrow. But after speaking with the company, he was able to verify that the check was good.
"At U.S. Bank, we're committed to fairness toward everyone we serve regardless of race," said U.S. Bank spokesperson Lee Henderson in an issued statement. "We dispute the facts as they're being portrayed to you."
Watch the incident unfold below.
