Luxury Store President Apologizes To Washington Wizards General Manager For Racial Profiling

Current Washington Wizards general manager Will Dawkins received a formal apology from a luxury clothing store Saks Fifth Avenue following an incident in which he was the subject of a racial profiling development by one of the security guards back on November 2, 2023.

According to Andscape, Dawkins, who is a Black man from Massachusetts, said he was followed and grabbed by a person in unidentified plainclothes who later revealed he was a security guard working for the store. The security guard and a Miami police officer apprehended Dawkins, who was taken back to the store before being questioned by the two men, who said Dawkins stole clothing and concealed the clothes after leaving the Saks store at the Brickell City Centre.

It was later determined that Dawkins, who is a first-year Wizards general manager, was mistaken for a man who was recorded stealing clothing.

Finally, Dawkins was released by the store security that same night. The Wizards were in town to compete against the Miami Heat.

President of Saks Fifth Avenue, Larry Bruce, sent a letter to Dawkins that was posted last week on LinkedIn. The security guard, allegedly, is no longer with the company.

"There was a violation of our policies that never should have happened. It is an important reminder to our entire organization that we must continually work to ensure that every guest that comes through our doors is welcomed and treated with respect," Bruce wrote on LinkedIn.

"As part of this, we are pleased to be making donations to three worthy organizations that are dedicated to making a positive impact on causes that are important to Mr. Dawkins."

Dawkins believed it was much needed to "address the racial profiling incident at Saks Fifth Avenue as a push to readjust their policy and personnel for the better hopes of making a greater racial and social impact."

"The advice that I got throughout this process, which was a lot of helpful stuff, was that my mother kept telling me this was an incident that happened for me and not to me," Dawkins said.

"So, I understand that not everyone wants to hear this story and not everyone will believe this story. I think there'll be people who will ask why I'm even talking about it and be upset with me sharing my experience. I get that. And it's not for everyone, but even if one person comes across this and it gives them strength to speak up, then it was all worth it."

"My hope is that other stores see this and elect to readjust their policy or personnel and in turn those changes prevent at least one future event like this from happening to someone else. Once I was able to reshape my thinking, I realized it was all worth it because this didn't happen to me, it happened for me."

Photo Credit: OKC Thunder