KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) — Employees of a Seattle suburb will undergo implicit bias training after police asked a Black man to leave a frozen yogurt shop because employees said he made them feel uncomfortable.
On Nov. 7, police asked 31-year-old Byron Ragland to leave Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in Kirkland, where he was supervising a court-sanctioned outing by a mother and her son.
Ragland gathered with supporters, including local NAACP leaders, last week and met with police.
The Seattle Times reported on Nov. 22 that Kirkland City Manager Kurt Triplett and police Chief Cherie Harris will also include members of the City Council in the training.
The two teenage girls working at the shop had called owner Ramon Cruz, who happens to be Filipino American. He instructed them to call the police. Cruz apologized on Nov. 19 and an apology note was attached to the door of the business.
Cruz said he had previously encouraged employees to call the police if they felt uncomfortable, but will now instruct them to call him. Cruz said he will then visit the store and determine whether to call the police.