Dennis McKinley was placed In handcuffs in the Chick-Fil-A on the Emory Campus yesterday afternoon. Dennis stopped in the fast food place prior to going to a doctor’s appointment. It seems that someone suggested that Dennis did not pay for his two chicken sandwiches and a drink. Lots of drama ensued. Read Dennis’s first hand account of his experience below. RHOA’s Eva Marcille’s husband Mike Sterling will be representing him with this incident. It appears he was not actually arrested.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.
Dennis Has Contacted His Attorney
Instead, this Emory police officer chose to abuse her power. She chose aggression over common sense. She put her hands on her weapon, she put her hands on me, she publicly humiliated me, falsely and wrongfully accused me of stealing a sandwich and placed me in handcuffs so tight that she caused injuries to both of my wrists. I was profiled. She was wrong. No apology. Just more vitriol.
She blamed me for the entire situation. It was disgusting. I could have been the next hashtag because she was that aggressive. I went to see my doctor for a routine dr visit at @emoryhealthcare Emory hospital. Stopped to grab a sandwich. And this is what happened. It happens to us everywhere, at any time, for any reason. I can’t let this go. This is not ok. I’ve retained counsel @miketsterling and @dreyer_sterling_llc. Now, we can add going to the doctor or buying a sandwhich while black to the list of things we cannot do. [SOURCE Instagram]
Porsha Williams recently broke off her relationship with Dennis McKinley over rumors of cheating.
This doesn’t make any sense. Emory University is a historically black university.
Why would an Emory security guard racially profile him?
I’m not sure why you think that makes a difference.
Since when has racially profiling anyone for any reason, made sense?
Emory is not an HBCU. It’s a very expensive, predominately white college. Both POLICE OFFICERS were white.
Actually it’s a very diverse University n trying to become moreso…
Black people make up less than ten percent of the population.
My mistake, for some reason I thought it was.
Yeah. All of us in Georgia know Emory is a rich kid white university.
Also, African Americans just going about their daily lives in almost all black communities are harassed, falsely accused, and shot for being “confused” with criminals everyday. So it absolutely does not matter where they are.
Regardless of anyone’s feelings about Dennis, what happened to him is horrible and dangerously common.
There had to have been something up with his behavior. I live directly across the street from Emory, walk frequently through Emory and around Emory Village with my dog and people aren’t harassed around here for no reason. The large hospital is very diverse with people from every background going here for treatment and also working here. The white population of Emory is about 40% compared to white population of the world which is about 60%. So less than half of Emory students are white. You know who goes to Emory? Very smart people. That’s what I see when I am on campus.
We literally see examples every damn day, of people being accosted for no reason whatsoever.
I don’t think much of Dennis, but assuming this is his fault or he must have done something to warrant the treatment is not based in reality.
Also, just because YOU don’t experience a thing, doesn’t mean no one else does. Are you a black man? If not, your experience is likely markedly different. If so, it is STILL not proof of it not being a problem.
In response to ReninOz, I never once said people weren’t being accosted for no reason at all. I’ve seen it and living in Atlanta, you can’t NOT see it or be affected by it or know someone who has been affected by it or had it happen to them. My white nephew, 16 yo, was pulled over after having gone for tutoring at his teacher’s house in college park. Guess what he did? He made a smart ass comment to the cop. Guess what happened? He got pulled out of his car, put in cuffs, they sat him on the curb for 45 minutes while they searched his car. Guess what they found? Nothing. One time I had surgery. Afterwards, my black friend would come over 3 times a week to help me with recovery. He told me that people in the neighborhood (white) would cross the street to walk on the other side when they saw him walking from the bus stop. I didn’t believe him (this was more than 20 yrs ago in a different neighborhood). So I started walking to the bus stop to meet him. Damn it, I couldn’t believe it was true. So I met him every time and drove him home afterwards. Those are just 2 examples out of many.
So please, don’t assume to know what I know or have experienced.
As I told my nephew, keep your mouth shut to the cops and do what they tell you and answer any questions respectfully. Being an asshole will get you no where in life and no where with the cops.
I realize that I will never know what a black man goes thru, or a black woman, or any other people of color because i’m Not them. All I can do is treat everyone the same, because we are all the same. I can also not make assumptions about people before I know them so as to avoid coming off like an asshole.
Actually my child pretty recently went there (Emory) for an interview for their Med school which is highly regarded and affiliated with the CDC. She is white as a saltine cracker. As far as diversity… it’s as diverse as most other schools we looked at. So predominantly black it’s NOT. IMO this was racial profiling at its finest. And I stopped watching RHOA years ago bc of the production interference and fighting, not to mention the ultimate misogynistic Andy Cohen. News flash people: being a gay man doesn’t preclude you from being a misogynist. But whatever else this Dennis guy has done, getting a damn chic-fil-A sandwich and ending up in handcuffs is unacceptable and seriously quite frightening in this day and age. SMDH.
Allegedly.
Emory is not an HBCU. Even if it was, why would that change anything to do with the idiotic behavior of the cops. The cops must be investigated and sued.
I think she got it confused with Moorehouse. Normal people can’t afford to go to the elite Emory U, Harvard of the South.
Beware those that paint the narrative initially and hastily try to portray their victimhood… go back and read the michael brown FACTS. Nothing like portraying a Female Officer in a bad light- publically. Still, one incident doesnt paint with a broad brush. A White person somewhere today was spoken of- thought badly of- treated unkindly by another person, maybe even a Black person, but that’s Not America. Media n manmade drama… thousands of BLACK PEOPLE ate at Chik Fil A today without incident and had a wonderful experience. That’s the TRUTH.
Mike Brown was breaking the law and that case has no bearing on this one. Dennis was buying a couple sandwiches and a co-cola.
Thank You!
Im confused how any of what you said correlates to this specific experience. Plenty of people didnt get killed today but somewhere somebody did, you see how stupid that analogy is
I wonder how much Porsha had to pay the police officer to be so aggressive with him
Why must we make everything about race? The word has lost its meaning! I’m so sick of it!
To those uneffected by racism, there was likely never an acceptable meaning.
When people assume you are an “illegal” alien and/or criminal based on your skin color, everything IS about race.
When you are not one of the people for whom the system was set up to benefit, everything IS about race.
The only people who ask “why must we make everything about race?” are the people who benefit from the system and have never been on the receiving end of racial injustice ever in their lives.
Not everyone who has not experienced racism is as insensitive as Nancy’s comment. Just saying.
How do you steal a sandwich when you have to pay up front? This makes no sense.
That was my thought. They don’t give you the food until after you have paid, correct?
If it’s similar to the Chick-fil-a at the university I work at there’s a self serve where you grab your sandwich or nuggets and go to the cashier and pay.
This man is not telling the whole story.
The officer saw him pick up a sandwich,stuff it in his backpack and walk away. She asked if he had a receipt several times, he said no, but that he had paid for it. She suggested they go to the cashier to check. He refused, and escalated the situation. He made a simple situation worse. He was loud and profane.
And imagine that, he had the receipt the whole time.
It is shameful that this man is smearing someone because he decided to be a verbally abusive, obnoxious jerk.
Dude, there is video of the incident on his IG. The cop is literally holding up the bag the food came in.
My bad… he stuffed the sandwich in a bag. And instead of getting in line to pay for the sandwich she watched him pick up, he started to leave. She reasonable asked him if he had a receipt.
He was the one who became belligerent and aggressive. All he had to do was show her the receipt he had the the whole time, or go with her to the cashier like she asked. But nooooo, he lied to the officer and caused a simple situation to blow up. Then went on social media and slandered that officer. McKinley is not telling the whole story. And he is lying about some details. That’s disgusting.
First of all, the way Chick-fil-a is set up, it’s impossible to place an order without paying before getting your order. You pay as soon as they enter your order at the register. So she had NO reason to ask for a receipt.
I used to spend a lot of time at the Emory Chik Fil A. It’s been a very long time but if I recall correctly it was sort of an open food court where you could go in and pick up chick Fil A sandwiches and the grab things from other fast food places, then grab your drink and go through the cafeteria line to pay.
So in that case, what might have happened, someone though what happened was that he put a sandwich ( in his personal bag or something.) I can’t see him paying for two sandwiches and a drink and stealing another. Perhaps he put them in his bag and then took them out to pay for them at the counter? The whole thing seems quite bizarre. I just can’t imagine him stealing a sandwich.
That is how a Charlotte business campus is. You pick up your food from a serving line and pay after.
Yes, you recall correctly. The food court has been renovated a couple times since Emory put the CFA in, but the setup is the same. It is just like a cafeteria and some things are “grab and go,” but they do require you pay for the items you grab lol. Sounds like the cops are accusing him of paying for 2 sandwiches but maybe snagging a 3rd and hiding it in his backpack? That’s absurd, and easily resolved by looking in the backpack and counting to 2 (or 3).
Of course none of us knows yet what truly happened, but given how awful our supposedly “post-racial” society has gotten, my $4.75 is on Dennis’ NOT having stolen a gotdamn chicken sandwich.
I wonder if he was going see a doctor about those alleged boils
Lol ??????
Were there police officers already there or did someone call them?
I could say karma, but profiling is not specific to the person but the stereotype, so not karma. And that sucks big time. I know if I were a mother of young black men, I WOULD be concerned. Hell, as an old white childless spinster I AM concerned. It’s one step forward and two steps back.
I totally agree!! I have a particular friend of color who is terrified for his young sons! And rightfully so.
Just when you start to think it’s getting safer…
First it was barbecue Becky now it’s chick-fil-a Karen. Put your phones down ladies and leave the crimefighting to Veronica.
I’m getting my hubby a T-shirt that says “relax gringo I’m legal” so immigration Irene will put her phone down and eat her vegan chorizo.
Should you decide to sell them, I buy one for my daughter’s boyfriend. Oh and a Hindi version for my Sikh friend.
I don’t believe him and I don’t think it has anything to do with race. In a world of smartphones and video surveillance the truth will come out soon. I don’t believe it’s about race and am as pro black as they come. We shall see.
agreed
Why does the receipt have a signature line, tho, if he paid cash? Usually that only prints when it’s been paid for by a card :/
This is so bizarre to me. Cops getting in a twist over chicken sandwiches!! WTH?
I can’t help but wonder if it was the chic-fil-A employee that started this bizarre incident. I love me some cfa but the company itself has been known for some of their (ahem) beliefs… not exactly open minded and welcoming to all. Allegedly. Has bothered me about them but dang their sauce is addictive! Wtf? dude was just trying to get a sannich!
Mr. Cathy, the owner of the Chick Fil A chain, grew up in a boys home. He was an orphan. Despite how his life began, he developed a great business mind and is a Christian. It’s why his stores are closed on Sundays. He hires people of all races and genders. He spends his coins on charities he believes in. I don’t think I’ve ever read a word he said about gay people, which is what he is most often accused.
He’s a true American success story. Why does anyone have the right to count his coins that he gives to charities? I see a Horatio Alger story and many others see a bigot. I guess I truly don’t get it when it comes to Mr. Cathy and chicken sandwiches.
It doesn’t sound like you have read many of his words then. He an old white conservative southern Baptist. Which means he’s a bigot, a racist and a Trump supporter. And Horatio Alger is rolling in his grave at the comparison.
And I don’t think this is some information that has been kept from you. YOU ARE FROM GEORGIA. It’s not something that people like him even ATTEMPT to hide. Instead, they wear it like a badge of honor.
TT, WTF, 2Xs now, your comments are spot on. my hero worship is beginning, maybe. WTG Girl managing to be informed, well read with all the other crap you need to read and write.
Nothing can be about race for non POC. African Americans built this country and die on camera in this country while white people want to pretend they are colorblind. Race a social construct that involves power is used every single day to demean and destroy someone. I don’t care about Dennis but it has been engrained in y’all heads that black people always deserve to die or be locked up. Rich or poor. Highly educated or not. Emory is a racist institution with very few black medical students and their black professors are not promoted. Look it up. Emory would not accept black people in their medical school. Emory had a little black boy as a mascot for their sports teams. Look it up.
Actually, the mascot of Emory is a skeleton that represents the schools excellence in science. Emory is a very respected school at the international level, particular for medicine. The student and faculty are diverse especially so in the past two or three decades.
It is unfair to say that Emory is a racist school due to an incident with a non-student and the Emory Police department. The school has nothing to do with that. It’s also unfair to take this incident and apply it to the entire Emory Police department.
Former GA girl, I cant understand your life’s experience as an old white woman but I can feel your anger and frustrations. I thought much of racial bigotry would have become less by now with my generation dying off. Somehow i believed my generation and my parents generation were the problem. After all we all have the opportunity to “see” now. The injustice was or is there for all to see. With equal opportunity laws, educational institutions finally by choice or the force of the law to offer education to all, I thought we as a nation would be much further along. I’m so sorry, I’m sorry for all of us, of all colors to be in the horrible place we are. I no longer have any understanding of bigotry and racism.
I’ve read where history swings one way then needs to swing the other for it to finally find a balance somewhere near center. Lets pass stricter laws about racial profiling and racism. Police officers need to be fired, Judges that rule differently based on the color of a persons skin gets removed from his job, all public schools some how need to become equal in teachers and programs, good luck with that, so on. Yes some good police or Judges might be lost but it wont be that many. Look at the innocent black lives lost now
Since people seem unable to stop these actions then the law can do it for them. In short time peoples actions will change if they are looking at enforced felony charges and a little longer in time peoples thinking will change,
Yes we can legislate behavior if we want it bad enough. Also need to dump those old white men in the U.S. Senate. Don’t write me feelings cant be changed like this because it can a persons behavior, in time their feelings have no power.. Feelings have little meaning, actions matter. I don’t care if you are bigot just keep it to yourself.
Amen Calipatti. We need ppl taking positive action; we need all ppl being accountable for their actions, both good and bad. The lack of both things in this world is deeply troubling. With such negativity working it’s way so quickly from the all angles is downright scary.
First let me say I’m a white woman. Does that mean I’m a racist? That I think all illegal immigrants are criminals? Think all black should die or go to prison? (One of the other commenters said this)
The answer is No. I judge people based on if they’re an asshole. Period. Why is it Ok for others to make blanket statements about all white people being the things I mentioned above? That only adds to the racial problems we already have.
Someone else asked why does everything have to be about race? It’s because people make statements about all white people, immigrants, POC being (insert stereotype/term). Like everyone is the exact same.
When anyone with 2 brain cells knows that’s not true. It just makes it a lot easier to say crappie things and dehumanize people. Regardless of who is making these type of statements it’s wrong.
We need to look at people as individual human beings. Instead of saying they are (insert term) so that means they are (insert term). Then maybe one day we won’t automatically assume incidents like this one are racially motivated.
Sorry for the long post TT.❤