The comments in yesterday’s Ryan Coogler post were a mess of racism and, I believe, a smear campaign being willfully executed by a certain bank. Judging from the comments here, on TMZ and on Twitter, a certain bank was fully prepared to smear Ryan Coogler to cover their own asses after they operated with racism towards a customer. Even details within TMZ’s reporting were being willfully misrepresented over and over, in the same exact way. GMAFB. You will be banned from commenting here if you are racist or if you continue to misrepresent or mischaracterize this racist incident.
The reporting around this situation has now been filled out by outlets other than TMZ, and it’s clear that Coogler was victimized even worse than we originally believed. What happened, according to Variety’s reporting and Ryan Coogler’s own comments to the police who handcuffed and detained him, is that he entered a Bank of America branch with his mask on (because we’re still in a pandemic). He showed the teller his withdrawal slip with the note on the back, asking for discretion as he withdrew $12,000 from his own account. He spoke with the teller, inserted his own ATM/Debit card, entered his PIN number, and verified his identity by handing the teller his driver’s license. The teller took everything to the back and she and the bank manager(s) called the cops on him while he was waiting in line.
Ryan Coogler was clearly stunned when cops pulled guns on him as he tried to make a legal withdrawal from his bank account … and it was all caught on police body cam footage. pic.twitter.com/tlFWNSK5iQ
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 10, 2022
More video has been released after Ryan Coogler & his two peers were terrorized by Atlanta police. In this video Ryan Coogler reveals he SHOWED the bank people his ID, put his own card in, his own PIN in. Ryan Coogler deserves love and protection. f*ck y'all. #BlackPanther pic.twitter.com/HviX1Dqwhj
— Jason (One Piece stan) (@EscaflowneClown) March 10, 2022
I don’t want to hear “he should have done this” or “he shouldn’t have done it that way.” Ryan Coogler went to his own f–king bank, handed a withdrawal slip to the teller with a note asking for discretion, showed ID, gave them his card and entered his PIN number. This was racism. This was an American bank calling the cops on a Black man for trying to withdraw money from his account.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Ryan Coogler at the Black Panther European Premiere at the Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, London,Image: 508260804, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: B2820 / Avalon
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- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 15 – Ryan Coogler attends Common Sense Awards 2018 on November 15th 2018 at San Francisco City Hall in SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Photo – Devlin Shand for Drew Altizer Photography)Photograph: © Drew Altizer/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 534635313, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: Drew Altizer/PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 15 – Ryan Coogler attends Common Sense Awards 2018 on November 15th 2018 at San Francisco City Hall in SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Photo – Drew Altizer)Photograph: © Drew Altizer/PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 534635353, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: Drew Altizer/PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- PALM SPRINGS, CA, USA – JANUARY 04: Director Ryan Coogler arrives at Variety’s Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch Red Carpet 2019 at the 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala held at the Parker Palm Springs on January 4, 2019 in Palm Springs, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency),Image: 535004525, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- PALM SPRINGS, CA, USA – JANUARY 04: Director Ryan Coogler arrives at Variety’s Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch Red Carpet 2019 at the 30th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala held at the Parker Palm Springs on January 4, 2019 in Palm Springs, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency),Image: 535004566, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency / Image Press Agency / Avalon
This is inexcusable. I hope they bend over backwards to make amends to Mr. Coogler.
I hope he’s moved his money elsewhere and a bunch of other folks follow suit.
I think they might be. I just got a call from Bank of America offering time to have a relationship review and I can’t help but feel like this outreach is related to this fiasco.
Bank of America is horrible. They treated me very poorly (altho not to the extent of calling the cops, but they clearly have no respect for customers).
Wells is also awful. Put your money in a credit union and be amazed at how well they treat you!
Ditto. I hope BofA loses a lot of customers over this. And yes, put your money in a credit union!
Sorry, but it’s clear why it happened: Bank of *America.* Means, white Protestant or Catholic or Jewish America: heck even white immigrants are ok. But “you black, you bad, we see Law & Order, we see CSI, we see everything, we know you bad.” THIS is America. THIS is what white supremist Americans have created: and I don’t mean the neo-Nazi white supremacists: those guys are just plain old WHACKED. But those who think “normal” is white. Those who think that as long as black people don’t upset the whites, then things can go on peacefully. “And hey that’s not racist, it’s just how things are…” yeahhh, riiiight.
Absolutely awful. The bank needs to be held accountable for what they reported to police. Unfortunately, false reporting is a crime that goes unpunished but citizens have to suffer through this and the public disdain for police increases. People need to stop calling the police for stuff that is not a crime and they need to be held accountable for the false information they give to law enforcement.
yeah, even worse than originally thought.
It makes me so angry when crap like this happens. here is person who has risen above this country’s systemic racism to become a successful, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, and he STILL has to deal with this sh*t. and it makes me weep for those people who aren’t as well-known as Mr. Coogler and have to deal with this every damn day.
This is insane!! That’s all I have to say- this is a racist hot mess and honestly the teller should be fired. How can someone be robbing a bank if he has a withdrawal slip, his ID, and his PIN? That is some hot nonsense.
It is insane, wrong and racist. Man goes to a bank and does everything he’s supposed to do to withdraw his money and gets arrested because he’s black.
So it is pretty close to what some people (not the racists) were speculating yesterday…..that he had to enter his ATM card, that he probably had to show ID, etc…….and then they still called the cops. They knew he was who he said he was, they knew he had access to his account, he was withdrawing money that he had in his account…..and they still called the cops on him, who showed up and handcuffed him.
Holy hell.
And pulled guns without any provocation. Why do they need to pull out guns BEFORE establishing a NON-THREATENING situation whenever the person is Black?
That bodycam footage inside the bank makes me so sad. How he must have felt turning around and seeing a cop with a gun right behind him and that he just immediately put his hands behind him to be cuffed to de-escalate – even though he had no idea why there were cops holding guns at him. it’s so f**king tragic that black people live this way
I cannot imagine the fear that people feel when that happens. the SLIGHTEST tremor from fear or whatever from a cop and that’s it. and Black folks have to deal with it FAR TOO OFTEN.
ETA: @Kate – it literally made me sick to my stomach, seeing that footage.
Right! There was no need for those cops to draw their weapons.
@Kate, that’s the worst thing: the way he put his hands behind in handcuff-mode, so automatically, to de-escalate. That is genuinely something that cracked my heart. Seriously. What the actual f***.
Yup, several people pointed that out. The more a specific poster blamed RC and threw out nonsense (insisting there’s only one teller in every BoA lobby in all of America so there was no need to be discreet and that they had INSIDE knowledge about BoA lmao), the more other posters thought through their experiences and were like…no. The first thing they ask you to do is insert your BoA card. They ask for ID. He filled out a withdrawl slip with his info. Etc.
Basic common sense.
And here we are a day latter, finding out that the folks at that BoA branch did exactly all of that…yet for some reason, decided to call the cops.
It’s not hard to figure out why they called them.
I’m not black or even American and I got it as soon as I read the original post. Although, when I read it there were only three or four comments and the lunacy of trying to justify what happened hadn’t started yet. The only time I withdrew a large amount which bizarrely was also 12 thousand dollars, the teller counted it out to me with customers standing either side of me and behind me. He was completely justified in asking for and expecting discretion not the disgraceful overreaction he received.
Periodt.
Love to see how many people are gonna tell on themselves again today on Beyonce’s internet now that the bodycam footage is released.
A few of them are doubling down on their racist crap. The majority of Tweeples support Ryan. I hope he does what I do whenever I get mistreated (his was WAAYYY worse), which is to calmly withdraw all of my money, close all of my accounts, cuss ’em on the way out then tell all of my friends and family to do the same.
100% truth. There is no justification. And seriously – I listen to the cops and they seem trying to help by this time, but when he asks “I see your perspective. Do you see my perspective?” Heartbreaking. They don’t because they can’t. A white man wouldn’t have it suggested to him that he walk into a bank and ask to speak to a manager about withdrawing his own money. It simply wouldn’t happen – mask or no mask. Racism. Pure and simple.
I hope the cops kept some of that energy to explain to the bank manager why you don’t call them when you have someone with an ID showing himself as your customer.
AND THEN THEY ASK HIM HOW MANY OUNCES HE HAS ON HIM??!?! So they just detained someone, realize they have NOTHING on him and he’s done zero wrong, and proceeded to ask how many ounces he’s got on him. DISGUSTING.
Imagine being surrounded by cops and being interrogated for trying to withdrawal money from your own f@cking bank account. I would be pissed too. No one would have questioned this transaction if he were a white man. I’m with you, Kaiser. I’m not interested in “what aboutism” I hope he takes his business elsewhere.
I hope Marvel films and Disney and the Atlanta MCU production studio complex and all those Avenger-bro dudes who spoke out in support of Pratt act in solidarity and take their business elsewhere.
That’s real money, even to BOA
They won’t, of course.
Of course he gave them his ID to request a withdrawal, that’s just how banks work. This was never anything but vile racism
This is a great example of white privileging (or lack thereof in his case). This is just not something a white man would have gone through.
Or a white woman like me.
This fall I paid cash for a home project, and on 4 occasions went to the bank to withdraw several thousand in cash . I had on a mask. I had my ATM card. I think I was asked for ID, but I wouldn’t swear it. I kept my voice low because of the amount of cash I’d be walking out with.
No one questioned me. No one went to check with a manager. No one called the cops. If they had called the cops, there wouldn’t have been weapons drawn and I wouldn’t have been handcuffed.
It was the same bank.
The first thing that cop did when he approached was to pull out his gun!! There was no danger to the cop or anyone else. Unfortunately none of this is new. Back in December a 23 year old black man was arrested for trying to deposit his paycheck at at branch of U.S. Bank and this is just the stuff that makes the news. That teller and the branch manager need to be fired.
When my husband and I remodeled our house I went to BoA regularly to withdraw $9000 to pay the workers in cash. NO ONE CALLED THE COPS ON ME. By the way, I’m a white female.
I am a white woman married to a man of color, and the everyday privilege of whiteness is insane. I went to a coffee shop one day not wanting to be bothered (wearing all black with a hoodie drawn over my head), and of course, perfect strangers welcomed me to the space. I’ve never had so many perfect strangers talk with me, share things with me, ask me to watch their stuff, etc. The every day experience of racism and anti-blackness is both exhausting for POC and terrifying.
I’ve been a part of the Celebitchy community for over 15 years (love and learn from everyone) but some of yesterday’s comments on this were hands down the worst things I’d ever seen on this site. Veiled racism to start, victim blaming, willful deflection of facts, then outright doubling down on obvious bias. Glad they are banned.
This black man was WRONGED. From beginning to end. PERIOD.
Just catching up and holy hell, what a sh*tshow that thread was. She did a racism, guys, doesn’t matter that she’s black.
Total sh*tshow.
I wasn’t sure if the correct term would be racism or how she could be racist towards him since she’s the same race but I guess that is the correct term. He clearly didn’t do anything out of the normal for bank customers. I didn’t think the teller’s behavior was justified but I didn’t know what to call it since she is the same race.
it’s called internalized racism. the same way women can be sexist towards other women. like the fox news women. they are abused for being women, yet they uphold the very system that perpetuates it. basically they identify with those who hold the power, and take on (internalize) those toxic biases.
he was mistreated for banking while Black. it’s still racism! reporting that the teller was also Black is a blatant attempt to deflect, and irrelevant. what race is the manager? not that it matters! but, since they don’t say… I can guess.
that teller and manager need to be charged with making a false police report – which is illegal, yet none of these karens ever seem to get charged for doing it.
he could have been killed on the spot! thank godexx he wasn’t!!!
and then the thing about how many ounces. so a Black person wants to withdraw a bunch of cash, must be a drug dealer. nevermind that if he was getting money to go make a buy, he wouldn’t be holding! it’s just DUMB. and RACIST AF.
I didn’t read the post yesterday, because the headline told me enough. going back and looking at yesterdays comments… yikes. I appreciate the mods, so much!
yeah, the note about discretion was a little unusual, but if the guy’s got his ATM card and his ID, there’s absolutely no reason the cops should have been involved! Maybe you ask him to pull his mask down for a second to check the ID better, but that’s it!! I am absolutely certain that if I (a white person) did this, the teller would have just rolled their eyes internally and decided I was a little eccentric, and then given me my money no problem!
“ Maybe you ask him to pull his mask down for a second to check the ID better, but that’s it!!”
That’s basically been standard practice with the airlines I’ve flown during the pandemic, so I’d kind of expect them to do that? And if he refused? “Well I’m sorry Sir I’m unable to complete your transaction unless I can verify your identity….have a nice day”. Still not a call to the police, good lord.
Why would a note asking for discretion equal bank robbery? Robbers aren’t discreet.
I always pass a slip of paper with the amount I want to withdraw and not once has it been confused as an attempt to rob the bank. Granted I’m not in the US nor black.
@E, People passing notes when they want to withdraw large sums of money is not unusual. Even if the teller had never seen that before, the manager she consulted certainly would have.
That’s the part that confuses me. We’re putting a lot of blame on the teller but the manager is the one who backed her up. You’re telling me TWO people decided this man with proper credentials is trying to rob a bank? Come on.
I get it. I hate when the bank tellers say my account balance out loud or count my money loudly and I have a fraction of the amount RC has, but more than most people expect. I’m a young woman of color with an Ivy league education and I face discrimination a lot. People don’t expect me to know or have the things I have. RC is a hyperbolic version of that because he doesn’t fit their picture of someone that should have that much money, hence the assumption that he must be stealing it. I avoid banks as much as possible these days, but I know everyone in the near vicinity can hear your financial business. Having a loud teller count his money is almost certainly something that has happened before, and that’s probably why he wrote the note.
They knew who he was, knew he was a customer, knew he had the funds available, and still at least 2 … TWO BOA employees including a manager thought the best thing to do was call the cops instead of processing the withdrawal he requested. And the cops who responded thought the best thing to do was to pull guns on him, slap handcuffs on him, hound people out in the parking lot … why? Hmmm I’m going to consult Occams Razor on this one: the obvious answer is systemic racism.
I’ve been watching the HGTV show Rock the Block, 4 renovating teams, 1 team made up of two POC. Every week one of the teams has something go wrong with their supplies, getting material that’s what they ordered in a completely different color which clashes with the rest of their materials . Guess which one?
One could try to argue maybe that black couple is bad at ordering, but given they’ve been successful renovators for at least a decade, and it’s the same – key element in the design arrives in the wrong color – problem every time, I’m thinking there’s some racists in the show’s supply chain messing with them.
This. I thought I was the only one who thought that.
Repeating what I shared yesterday:
Of course this would happen to a successful black man. All we as black people ever deal with is
White supremacy, white oppression, white hatred and they won’t ever stop.
And for the person that had the gall on here to comment on how The Black Panther/Wakanda set has shady going on’s…reexamine your life and stop contributing to the racism and White supremacy that has poisoned this country and the world at large.
Colonizer.
I second that. I am so tired of the racism.
I don’t have the words to describe how revolting Ryan Coogler’s arrest is.
It reminds me of comedian Jay Pharaoh being arrested for being black in public. There was a “suspect” somewhere and they picked him to arrest. I believe a college (I think Stanford) swim team bus was parked for a rest break and police arrested the one black swimmer because he looked you know…like some “suspect.”
It’s so pathetic. America is pathetic and disgusting and I feel bad that this guy can’t even take out his own money in safety.
I wish something shocked me. I wish something surprised me. Nothing shocks me anymore. I hope he sues, I hope people boycott. I could hope this never happens again to another person of color but given how things are going…good lord. Our society…
Excellent comment. I agree with every single word you wrote. Thank you.
There can be no “whataboutisms” unless you’re a racist POS. A bank robber tries to withdraw all the money that is not theirs and certainly doesn’t show ID. The note about discretion sounds weird but he’s withdrawing 12K in cash/check. I wouldn’t want it announced either. “So Mr Coogler, you’re going to withdraw 12 thousand dollars today? Great!” says the clerk in an audible voice. Like that’s not setting up for trouble.
I hope Mr Coogler withdrew all his money and transferred it some place else and I hope that some place else isn’t a trash heap of racism.
If I was withdrawing that much cash i would expect discretion, you never know who’s hanging around listening honestly. It’s not crazy to think someone would hear that and decide to follow him or something after.
If I was going to withdraw that much cash, I’d expect to be escorted to a private office to complete the transaction. They count that sh*t out in front of you so all parties agree on the count! Not everyone in that bank needs to know how much money you’re walking out of there with!
My god, the coordinated effort in yesterday’s comment thread to criticize and mischaracterize every detail of Ryan’s attempt to withdraw his own money from his own account and BANKSPLAIN what he *should* have done or WORN differently because the commenters “have done business and/or have mortgages with BoA” for decades, was sickening. The smear had obviously been prepared in advance. I hope BoA feels some pain from the widespread backlash for their racist treatment of a much admired and respected man.
To be clear, BoA’s racist treatment of ANYONE in this way is deplorable. Maybe Ryan’s high profile will bring down some real consequences.
This is wrong. How can anyone defend BofA in this? Take your money elsewhere.
And I’m sure the tellers have seen all sorts of eccentricities. People are weird. They called the cops because it was a black man.
I just… he gave his ATM card? And his ID? What “potential robber” would do that? Give me a break.
He attempted to withdraw his money, presented proper credentials…wound up in cuffs.
Anyone who suggests this is not racism needs to check themselves.
Disgusting.
I hope he has an emotional support system. The knowledge or even expectation that people are racist in this country doesn’t make it any easier when you experience it.
Banking while black strikes again. Even when you follow the rules, you don’t follow the rules the “right way”.
yeah, those comments about “not doing it the right way” were INFURIATING.
and today, with more of the story, we all see that he DID do it “the right way”.
They pulled guns on him!? Holy shit, this evening worse than I initially thought. Ryan needs to sue. BoA needs to be boycotted. This is inexcusable. We are lucky this didn’t end with Coogler shot to death. No joke.
This is what I was thinking. It’s horrific. One move and we could have lost him.
What POSSIBLE justification are they giving for freaking handcuffing him??
ETA: obviously the police never should have been called in the first place; that goes without saying.
That poor man.
“We are lucky this didn’t end with Coogler shot to death.”
yup, made a similar comment above. I can’t imagine the fear that poor man must have felt. makes me sick to my stomach.
Thank you, Kaiser for this follow up and for your words.
Yes 1000x thank you Kaiser. The thread yesterday was so disheartening. My step grandpa was a millionaire who used to walk around looking like a homeless dude with scraggy clothes and beard. He also liked to withdraw cash and then redeposit it. He was…. Eccentric. And white so what he got was “thank you Mr. X, we welcome your business.” No matter how many truly weird stunts he pulled.
Not surprising from BoA:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-16296146
they have a history of being shady….
Holy shite…I hope BoA faces huge repercussions, including Ryan Coogler withdrawing all his money, closing his accounts and suing their racist a$$es.
Oh ho ho, now they’re revealing they lied about the exact circumstances? It was already looking pretty awful to begin with; now they’re just really stepping in it.
The part where they pulled their guns is what really gets me. How irresponsible and dangerous, not just for him, but for everybody else in the surrounding area. I really hope he considers talking to a trauma therapist after this because I can’t imagine it won’t have a lingering impact.
This is horrifying and it’s hard for me to wrap my head around anyone claiming this ISN’T a purely racist incident. Thank goodness he’s okay physically, but I’m sure this was an emotionally traumatizing event. He probably feared for his life. After trying to withdraw money from his own bank.
I learned last night that THAT Bank of America branch serves mostly Black people in a pretty wealthy neighborhood.
The manager is Black.
The teller is Black.
The cop who drew his gun is Black.
A Black face on a racist system is still racist.
Despite all the BLM protests and donations, and “defund the police” slogans, like most white and other Americans of color, Black Americans remain too eager to call the police for minor and easily resolvable issues. Yet paradoxically ignore and hide the gendered violence against Black womxn. Make this country make sense. (I’m Black fyi)
Thank god Coogler is still alive.
Thanks for sharing this. As I have said on a few threads today, there are many forms of racism and systemic racism is a huge one that affects EVERYONE. People of color are impacted by systemic racism in many ways, and unfortunately we are also trained to be complicit in it.
I’m from Atlanta, and while that branch serves black people, it is part of Buckhead. Buckhead is a wealthy white enclave of Atlanta. The governor’s mansion is on that same street. While they may have black teller/management/customers, the attitude/culture is representative of that neighborhood. They tolerate black people but they don’t really want you living there. And a black man coming in to withdraw $12K, who doesn’t look like he should have $12K in his account, is going to be profiled as a criminal.
This is absolutely horrifying. I can’t imagine anyone having to go through that. I hope he sues the bank.
Can I ask a dumb question? Is it common to be able to go in to a bank and withdraw large sums of cash in the States? I’m in Canada, live in a large city in Alberta, and in both banks I deal with, if I want to withdraw more than $3K, I have to call the bank in advance to make arrangements.
Yes it is not uncommon to do large withdrawals. It depends on the bank how much they have in hand. If we didn’t have it, we would call other branches to see if they had it and send the customer there. But if you call ahead, we can order it from the Federal Reserve. $12,000 is not a really large or unusual withdrawal amount. It is preferred that you call ahead so the person in charge of the vault can see if we can spare the amount you’re requesting. But I had customer take out 10 to 15 thousand to pay cash for vehicles boats etc. in banking, 12k is not a lot.
Not a dumb question I don’t think, but it seems from the comments this is totally normal in the US. In the UK that is absolutely not a normal transaction and we are inundated with rules and regulations about what happens if someone wants to withdraw anything over £1k in cash (yes, one), and there are situations police would be phoned. The details added here though – PIN entered and ID given before police were even called – just cement that I just need to shut up because this clearly was nothing to do with a legit bank procedure.
That video is so sad. He shouldn’t have to beg for someone to see it from his perspective. It all makes perfect sense. $12000 isn’t even *that* much money.
There is no explanation that would justify this. It is inexcusable. And this is in a country where people are shot by police in their homes. I am glad he survived this ordeal.
Hi, I was one of the people saying that maybe it wasn’t racism in the original post. I’m sorry if I offended anyone. Not my intent. I also sent CB an email apologizing. I’m most definitely not a troll and not paid by anyone. I’m kind of a happy go lucky person, that doesn’t always see when things are wrong…I’m starting to realize that has blinded me.
Hearing what happened to Ryan, there’s no denying what happened to him was racist. The more information that comes out only makes it worse. I’m sorry for what he experienced and hope that the people that allowed this situation to occur from the Top down to Teller are held responsible for this. Serious changes need to happen within BOA and that branch.
I appreciate your apology. It is a defensive reflex to try to deflect and understanding this is the first step to recognizing and accepting the existence of racism. My (white) partner spent a lot of time trying to rationalize borderline racist things we discussed even though he found them alarming but didn’t dare judge sometimes. Then one day he understood: These people may not be looking at it from my viewpoint so hell yeah they are acting like asses and they meant it, it was not a mistake. He started holding people accountable instead of trying to deflect something he couldn’t relate to. He is a chill person but constantly calls out people for being racist and it‘s both hilarious and annoying but a good thing.
It sounds like it was the manager who called police. Most likely the teller (a very low-level employee) was not the problem. It was telling that the police started off and TMZ continued throwing her under the bus and explicitly focused on her being pregnant, Black, and a woman.
“I’m kind of a happy go lucky person, that doesn’t always see when things are wrong…I’m starting to realize that has blinded me.”
@Busyann I understand. Also tend to be ‘happy go lucky’ and optimistic. For me, having to strain things through an ADHD colander and also restrain from a blurt-out means sometimes I don’t get it right first try.
Keep trying though, because it’s easier to get it (closer to being) right the next time. We can own mistakes and grow, like you’re doing, or deny it and continue to shrink our mortal souls. It’s worth the work to acknowledge our mistakes.
Also, it’s not just that bank. In Canada, The Bank of Montreal called the police on an Indigenous grandfather and his granddaughter when they were trying to open a bank account for her. Systemic racism is everywhere.
If this had happened to a white Karen she would have screamed the place down. Ryan could literally have been killed with these trigger happy cops pulling guns on him!
I watched the short clip of him turning around and seeing the cops. Broke my heart. He must have been so confused and terrified because he knows how these things could end.
Absolutely despicable behaviour from the bank!
A white Karen would have had a clip up on Twitter before the police even arrived, and it would have ended with the bank immediately making a public apology
He not only knows how these things can end, he made his breakthrough movie about it – Fruitvale station with Michael B.
What makes me shudder is how this interaction could have easily escalated. Glad he’s safe, and hope he sues everyone involved, or at least demands a public apology.
I JUST saw a clip yesterday of a woman LITERALLY throwing and destroying BLM candles at a Walmart. And there are always police nearby a Walmart. No one came to shoot her. SHE KNOWS she has the privilege of her skin. He immediately was cooperative because he knows how crazy the situation can go and EVEN when he’s outside, he’s being calm and TRYING SO HARD to communicate the craziness of THEIR reaction. As a police officer, I would have said, you are so right and turned my ass around and QUESTIONED the thought process of the banker. WHAT exactly made YOU think he was A BANK ROBBER?!! I WANT TO SEE THAT CAMERA FOOTAGE but we all know it doesn’t exist. (OH AND!! He didn’t go all Reese Witherspoon and SAY — DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!!?) EVER in that video. BECAUSE IT SHOULDN’T MATTER. I am so angry!!!
Not only does he know how these things could end, his art has examined them. Literally, the indie film he wrote and directed that made him famous prior to Black Panther, Fruitvale Station is about the last day in the life of an unarmed black man killed by authorities by getting shot in the back after an altercation on public transit. The irony here is so cruel.
Soooo glad I didn’t comment yesterday. Wow. I was wondering why the thread was closed and now I see. As I told Kaiser yesterday on twitter, BoA is the absolute worst. Worked for them 30 years ago straight out of college. The day I left, I closed my account and went to a credit union. Ugh.
As for that area of Atlanta, let me say I was not surprised he was profiled.
WTF If I were Ryan I would sue those people. That is awful. When will we stop this ?
This is so weird! Atlanta is a hotbed of Black businesses and successful Black Americans! I would expect this is a rural white area but Atlanta?! Also it’s been reported the teller was Black as well which is another layer. Obviously she could still have acted racists but again she works in a large financial institute in Atlanta! Hasn’t she seen POC take out large amounts of money before? Normally I don’t want to pile on the underpaid teller but wtf? And BOA is a horrible institution anyways. Hopefully he moves to a credit union or different bank asap.
Unbelievable ( yeah, I know, believable)… she/the institution exposed this Black man to police with ***allllllll*** the brutality we have seen Black men, especially, receive at the hands of police who arrive with guns blazing. He must have been so shaken. Just reprehensible.
I have a dream where someday we’ll all live in a world where the risks, repercussions, consequences of being a racist, doing things that reflect and reinforce systemic racism are bigger that the those of merely going about your life as a BIPOC.
Is that too much to ask? Maybe it is because another dream is that we live in a world where megalomaniac rich white dudes don’t reign harm, suffering, death, destruction on people on a daily basis just because they can.
Banking while black. I wish I had a Bank of America account so I could close it as a show of solidarity with Ryan. We need a big public outcry about this!
From what Ryan said, it doesn’t sound like he’s closing his account. He should. It was disgusting and inexcusable. He could have lost his life. Easily. Just doing the ordinary tasks of life can be life-threatening to Black people. How exhausting and outrageous.
This is so vile. Last fall, I took out a large chunk of cash via cashier check to purchase a vehicle. My bank saw the amount, and actually asked me to allow them to finish with another customer so they could be discreet about the transaction to protect me (I’m a smaller frame white female). They wanted to make sure I was safe, not jeopardize my safety. This is terrible.
Secondisthebest, I was thinking about what I would have done if someone came to my window to withdraw $12,000 in cash when I was a teller in the 70s. I was 18-20 years old and the first thought that pops in my head is that I would have asked him if he was sure he wanted to carry that much money in his pocket. I would have been worried for him for carrying that much cash in his pocket. I would still be worried for him today. That’s a lot of money in cash.
We got training on what to do if you’re robbed. Guess what? None of that training included considering a customer a bank robber. He had everything needed to identify himself and had already handed it to the teller. I am left wondering just what kind of training the teller (and manager) are getting from BoA. Someone should be looking into that because they’re obviously profiling their bank customers. I am so sorry for this man. He should change banks immediately. I can understand someone not wanting to sue. It’s a long drawn out process that takes time and lots of energy. If ever anyone had the facts to do sue it is the man here.
I have no idea what was reported by the manager when he called the police, but that police officer IMO screwed the pooch by not just walking up and starting a conversation. Something along the line of, “what seems to be the problem?” There wasn’t anything threatening or intimidating in the bank lobby, so what in the hell was he doing? Makes me glad that I’m not a teller now–with police like that you’re not safe if they’re called.
There should be serious consequences to the manager, teller and police officer. SERIOUS consequences.
I love my credit union. I suggest to people all of the time to ditch their commercial bank and switch to a credit union.
Has BoA stopped training for all of their employees? Managers? Any cash transaction >= $10K will trigger automatic CTR. Too bad Mr. Coogler asked to withdraw > $10K (unlike Rep Jim Jordan’s friend, and student sex abuser, Ohio State athletic doctor Richard Strauss who made many many many many withdrawals < $10K to pay off assault victims). Actually, bank employees can generate CTR for amounts < $10K if suspicious, but the $10K threshold is trigger for auto CTR by bank. BoA had all data on file needed for report. Calling the cops is ridiculous – if somebody did this at biz that routinely sends money back to Mexico, etc. for customers the cops w/b there full time.
https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/CTRPamphlet.pdf
That is so sad. What a thing to happen. Wendy quest hosts blamed him for looking like a robber. Poor guy. Hope he can recover.
Disgusting