Two Black Men Sue NYC Apple Store over Racism Claims

*Apple is being sued for racism after two black men say they were denied service at a New York City store.

Plaintiffs Brian Johnston, 34, and Nile Charles, 25, which filed the lawsuit against Apple in New York Supreme Court, accused the company’s employees of racism after they prevented them from buying headphones, reports mobiledia.com.

The two men, who wore “baggy jeans and large sweaters with hoods,” said they were told by one Apple employee that they were not welcomed in the Upper West Side store.

“And before you say I’m racially discriminating against you, let me stop you,” they claim the employee said. “I am discriminating against you. I don’t want ‘your kind’ hanging out in the store.”

The Apple Store's Genius Bar

Johnston and Charles said they were “shocked and humiliated” by the actions of the employee and a second Apple employee approached them asking them to leave.

“Now you have to go,” Johnston and Charles allege the other employee said. “If you want to know why, it’s because I said so. Consider me God. You have to go.”

Johnston and Charles asked to see a manager, but the head security guard of the store ignored their request. The manager eventually turned up, according to the plaintiffs, but he told the security guard to dial 911 to remove them from the store.

They are seeking punitive damages due to ongoing “emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, and other non-pecuniary losses.”