Queen Dies and Bannon's Comeuppance
Racist Bank Tries to Steal Check, Kyrgios' Epic (and Comic) Meltdown, and More
Politics: This Week in Open Racism
Casino jackpot winner alleges Michigan bank wouldn’t cash her prize check because she’s Black (NBC)
Summary: When a Black woman, Lizie Pugh, 71, tried to open a savings account with a jackpot check for about $12,000 from a Michigan casino at a Fifth Third Bank, she was told by three White bank employees that the check was fraudulent and they insisted on keeping the check. Only when Pugh threatened to call the police did the bank return her check. Fifth Third Bank released a statement in response: “At Fifth Third, we are committed to fair and responsible banking and prohibit discrimination of any kind. Our employees are trained to help every person with their banking needs — customer or non-customer — while minimizing the risk of any potential fraud.”
My Take: I can’t decide which is more infuriating—and racist—the employees clearly discriminatory behavior in trying to bully this elderly Black woman, or the bank refusing to take responsibility by releasing a statement that basically says, “Move along. No racism to see here, folks.”
If the employees were so convinced this was fraud, why didn’t they call the police themselves? And why, when the woman threatened to call the police, did they return her check? Why didn’t they call the casino to verify the check? Rather than just shrug it off, every Black person—as well as every company and individual against racism—should immediately withdraw their money from Fifth Third Bank and move it somewhere else.