Footage from a police body camera is shedding new light on an incident involving a 23-year-old Black man who was handcuffed while trying to cash his paycheck.
Joe Morrow had just finished his shift at a grocery distributor last October when he stopped at a U.S. Bank in Columbia Heights, Minnesota to cash his $900 check.
Even though Morrow had an account at the bank and showed his ID, the bank manager accused him of trying to cash a fake check and called police. He was then taken to a back office while waiting for officers to arrive.
"The manager, he came over and said, 'Joe Morrow? Your check (is) fake," Morrow told KSTP. "He said, 'You people always coming in here with fake checks.'"
When Sgt. Justin Pletcher, a white police officer, responded to the scene, he told Morrow to "calm down" and gave him a warning, according to body camera footage recently published by KSTP.
"I work there, bro," Morrow insisted. "This is racial."
"Joe, I need you to calm down, first of all, OK?" Pletcher responded. "Don't say anything stupid because you're just going to get arrested for it."
When Morrow stood up from his chair, officers placed him in handcuffs. In Pletcher's incident report, obtained by the TV station, he wrote that Morrow "flexed at [the bank manager] in a threatening manner," something Morrow denies.
The bank eventually confirmed the check was legitimate and police removed the handcuffs, but Morrow remained in the office for 10 more minutes so Pletcher could talk to him "man to man."
"I need you to stay calm," Pletcher said, "because when you start acting like this, it makes you look guilty."
Morrow replied that he wasn't guilty.
"No no, I know," Pletcher responded. "I'm saying when you start getting upset and irate, it makes you look guilty."
At the end of the video, Pletcher is heard apologizing to Morrow for the entire situation.
Morrow filed a lawsuit, alleging racial profiling. He said the entire experience was "degrading" and that he was treated like a criminal in front of other bank customers. Anti-racism advocates say he's a victim of "banking while Black."
"There's no question in my mind, had he been white, this would have never happened," Tyrone Terrill, former director of the St. Paul Department of Human Rights and president of the African-American Leadership Council, told KSTP. "There are many things that happen in a store, in a bank, in a restaurant, in a hotel – you name it – that Black people get treated differently."
The bank, which initially insisted race was not a factor in the incident, reached a settlement with Morrow, though details of the agreement have not been made public.
Andy Cecere, President and CEO of US Bank, issued a statement apologizing to Morrow, saying the company accepts full responsibility for the incident.
"Our commitment to racial equity and inclusion, and that of US Bank, is unwavering. What Mr. Morrow experienced is not the experience any customer should have. All of our employees are required to complete two levels of unconscious bias training, in addition to other training to prevent racial bias. Sometimes, unfortunately, we do not live up to our goals," Cecere said. "In the case of Mr. Morrow, we fell short and I apologize on behalf of the bank."
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