It seems that security guards for retailer Eddie Bauer forced a young black man to remove and relinquish his shirt to them at a EB warehouse sale on October 20, 1995. He had to leave in his undershirt and did not get his OWN shirt back until he came with the receipt the next day. Security told management that they believed the shirt had been stolen.Most of the citations posted below deal with the failure of EB's public relations staff to quell the outcry from the community. Little is said of the fact that the young man's basic rights were violated. Fortunately, his family has retained a lawyer.:
The Seattle Times, November 16, 1995, Thursday, Final Edition, Business; Pg. C2, Eddie Bauer Apologizes to Youth for Incident.
The Washington Post, November 19, 1995, Sunday, Final Edition, Metro; Pg. B01; Community Demands An Apology.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, December 1, 1995, Friday, Journal Edition, National News, Pg. 18A Eddie Bauer apologizes for shirt confiscation.
The Washington Post, December 01, 1995, Friday, Final Edition, Financial; Pg. D01, P.G. Store Incident Spurs Apology by Eddie Bauer; Treatment of Teen Spawns Protest, May Hurt Retailer.