Dennis McKinley took to Instagram yesterday to let his followers know that he was allegedly racially profiled by a police officer. The police department has responded and it seems like they are brushing the incident off.

Dennis told fans that he was at Emory Healthcare for a simple check-up with the doctor when he decided to buy something to eat. That’s when a white female officer accused him of stealing the food that he just purchased and handcuffed him so aggressively that he had markings on his wrist when she took them off.

The video that he uploaded of the situation was captioned, in part: ‘Yesterday I was accosted by a super aggressive Emory police officer #BethWalsh badge #215 who racially profiled me and falsely accused me of stealing a $4 sandwich. I had a receipt which could have easily ended her inquiry. There was a cashier that could have easily verified that I paid for everything I had. There were a number of easy resolutions that could have deescalated the unnecessary racial profiling and my detention by this officer.’

The Emory police department told US Weekly: ‘An Emory Police Department officer detained an individual suspected of not paying for an item. Once the officer learned the individual had purchased it, he was released.’

For Dennis, it was not as simple as that.

A representative for the business owner responded with: ‘Emory’s response is clearly the response of privilege. The privilege of someone completely out of touch with the reality of what that harrowing experience was like for Dennis. It is a response that does not recognize the pain and anguish of being profiled, despite your personal accomplishments and standing in society; they don’t understand what it’s like to be viewed as a criminal for no reason at all, except how you look; they don’t understand what it’s like to falsely accused of something you did not do; publicly humiliated for no reason at all; handcuffed like a criminal; detained without provocation; and completely frightened to death that you could be shot by an overly aggressive police officer over a $4 sandwich. Are you kidding me, Emory. This type of indifference by Emory just made the experience all the more painful. This is shameful.’

Advertisement

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star previously said that he has hired Michael Sterling to represent him in a possible case against the police department. Judging by their nonchalant statement, McKinley will likely be going through with his plans for legal ramifications.