The 911 calls were first reported on by WTMJ,
an NBC-TV affiliate in Milwaukee. John Henson called the
store three days earlier to ask what time they closed. He wanted to
buy a Rolex watch. When Henson arrived, the door was locked the
employees had closed the store. They noted the license plates on Henson's red
Tahoe, which police said were from a dealer. The employee on one of the 911
calls said she was told by police to call should the car return. "The
officer told us if they came back, we're supposed to call again," the
woman said. "They're at our front door now and we're not letting them in.
I am hiding in the office. I don't want them to see me out there. We're
pretending like we're closed. They're looking in the window. They're just kind
of pacing back and forth. I don't feel comfortable letting them in. I just
really don't at all.” Police came to the store and finally determined that one
of the men was Henson. The 911 operator said the police officer asked that the
employee come to the front door. "Why?
I don't feel like it," she told the 911 operator. "Why do I have to
come to the door. Can the officer come to the back? I'm not coming to the front
door.” She ultimately unlocked the door so Henson could enter but asked
that police remain while he shopped. Henson said last Tuesday that the
president of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, Tom Dixon, met with him at the
Buck' training center and apologized for the incident. This situation proves
that African Americans are being put in box and marked dangerous. We can’t even
by jewelry for ourselves or for a loved one without raising suspicion.
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