City Apologizes After Kirkland Police Remove Black Man from Store

KIRKLAND, Wash. – City leaders are apologizing for the actions of two of its police officers who were called to a yogurt shop and told a black man to leave the store.

Byron Ragland, the man who was asked to leave, plans to speak outside the store on Tuesday morning, denouncing what he terms as racial profiling.

The 31-year-old father, veteran and college student insists the only reason he was asked to leave a Kirkland yogurt store was because of his skin color.

Ragland works as a court appointed special advocate. On Nov. 7, he was at Menchie’s to supervise a visit between a mother and her child. Ragland sat at a separate table from them, and when he didn’t order anything, employees got nervous and called the owner, who then dialed 911.

The workers never shared their concerns with Ragland. His first indication of trouble was when officers showed up and told him to leave. City officials said that should never have happened.

The city launched an investigation and plans to overhaul its training protocols for officers. (KOMO 4 News, November 19, 2018)

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What possible reason could the police have for ordering Mr. Ragland to leave a store that is open to the public? He isn't causing a disturbance, he hasn't been asked to leave by the store owner/manager and refused (trespassing), he has in fact done nothing wrong! 

The police responded after being call to the store by an employee. Upon arriving the employees point out Mr. Ragland who is making nervous because he is sitting at a table and hasn't ordered anything. But upon making this determination, what crime do the police suspect Mr. Ragland of having committed? What authority do they have to remove Mr. Ragland from the store? 

"The very fact [that the police] came in and learned he was here legitimately, they should have corrected the action and walked away," said Seattle King County NAACP President Gerald Hankerson.

Calling the police because someone is sitting in a store is an improper use of police resources. It is not the job of the police to conduct social interaction for you. The employees should not have used 911 in this way.

When the police arrived and saw that Mr. Ragland was doing nothing wrong, should they have left him alone? Do you agree that the police were acting properly when they ordered Mr. Ragland to leave the store after being called by the employees?