Lawsuit Says Portland Teen Detained for “Shopping While Black”

“D.C. went shopping while black,” the lawsuit says. “J.C. Penney and its security guards intentionally chose to accuse D.C. of theft, detain, and search him based on his race and the color of his skin.”

MAX train at Clackamas Town Center. (TriMet)
By Katie Shepherd

A new lawsuit says security guards at the J.C. Penney in Clackamas Town Center mall detained and interrogated a black teenager after he finished a shopping trip last September.

The guards eventually let the 17-year-old boy, identified as "D.C." in court filings, walk free after finding he had receipts for all of the clothing items in his shopping bags, says the lawsuit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Feb. 4.

“D.C. went shopping while black,” the lawsuit says. “J.C. Penney and its security guards intentionally chose to accuse D.C. of theft, detain, and search him based on his race and the color of his skin.”

The teen's attorney, Michael Fuller, says he is representing D.C. pro bono after meeting him while volunteering with at-risk kids in the David Douglas School District. He says all proceeds from the case will go to a college fund for the boy.

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