Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther) was mistaken for a bank robber at a Bank of America in Atlanta, Georgia, and it is a shocking, frustrating thing to read about.
Reports state that back in January, Coogler handed a teller a withdrawal slip asking for $12,000, with a note on the back asking her to “be discreet when handing him the cash,” according to a police report shared by The New York Times. He had his California state ID card, as well as his Bank of America card when he approached the teller, who was a pregnant Black woman.
The teller “received an alert notification” from the account and quickly advised her manager that Coogler was trying to rob the bank. From the 911 call that was shared, the teller says that he handed her an ID and his PIN, but she was freaked out about the note because it said to be discreet. Despite the lack of a weapon and the fact that she didn’t verify his information, she called her manager and the police.
“I have to protect myself. I have to protect my child,” she reportedly said.
It was almost humorous to have the 911 operator say, “He might just want to be discreet” because it is dangerous to be walking around with that much money in cash in a public bank. Footage of the arrest has circulated in the news and online, as well as Coogler sharing his perspective about what happened. It is chilling that an officer drew his gun before cuffs were even put on Coogler.
The police confirmed that the episode resulted from a “mistake by Bank of America and that Mr. Coogler was never in the wrong.”
It feels like a situation where you could have asked for him to confirm his face just because it’s a high-amount transaction, but the teller got flustered and went straight for the most extreme situation. I understand that the note might put you off balance, but if he’s using his PIN, showing ID, and he’s not threatening anyone, then why are you escalating?
Sadly, this is another situation that highlights that money will not protect you from being racially profiled, even from your own people, in a place that was once dubbed “the real Wakanda.”
I hope Coogler takes his money out of Bank of America and that this is a lesson for many that when we are talking about systemic oppression, we are talking about this, as well—the kind that teaches other Black folks to see a hoodie, sunglasses, and taciturn behavior as indicative of malevolence.
Black cops won’t stop this; it requires is training, learning, and attempting to break assumptions based on behavior and dress.
Coogler issued a statement about the incident on Wednesday morning after the dashcam footage was released that same day. “This situation should never have happened,” he said, according to Variety. “However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
(via NYT, image: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
