Chick-fil-A apologized to a Black police officer who was made to pay for his meal while white officers ate for free.
The incident happened in Augusta, Georgia, last month. Officer Tracy Reid, from Clover, South Carolina, and several colleagues stopped by a Chick-fil-A to eat breakfast.
Reid, who was in uniform, said he stood in line behind the other uniformed officers.
His colleagues all received their meals for free as part of a promotion, Reid said. But he was made to pay for his breakfast.
“We came in together, same uniform, stood in line, there was never a time we were not together while standing in line,” Reid explained.
Reid said he remained calm and he declined when his colleagues offered to speak up on his behalf. Afterward, he wrote a letter to Chick-fil-A’s corporate office explaining what happened.
The company later issued an apology, calling the situation an “oversight” and a “perceived” racist incident.
But Reid rejects the corporation’s claim that the incident was not racist.
His colleagues, who witnessed the incident, agreed with him.
“He’s not the only one that perceived it. We all did, and it’s not perception — it’s what happened. It was a racial issue,” said Detective Thomas Barnette.
Augusta is one of 9 historically “sundown towns” in Georgia, also known as sunset towns.
In the olden days, there were signs warning Black travelers to leave town by sundown or face consequences.
Atlanta was not known as a sundown town.
