Black teen arrested at movie theater for sagging

May 27, 2018

Can Black folks go anywhere without being harassed? Apparently not.

Alonzo Taylor Jr., a Black teenager, says he was arrested at his local movie theater for wearing sagging pants, reports KAKE News. The incident took place at the East Warren 20, located in east Wichita, Kansas.

“A couple of seconds after leaving the concessions counter, the manager walked up and said to pull up your pants or you’ll be escorted,” Taylor, who is only 14 years old, told KAKE News.

After explaining to the manager that he didn’t have a belt, Taylor says he left the concessions counter to pull up his pants. But, Taylor says, the manager told him: “You’re going to have to leave. I don’t care what you did. You’re trespassing.”

Taylor says he followed the manager’s commands and left the theater but still was arrested.

His mother, Ruth Dennis, says Alonzo is a good kid who stays out of trouble, adding that “I just don’t want my son’s record to be messed up over sagging and to be labeled as a trespasser.”

Kali Kerr, whose daughter is Taylor’s close friend, posted on Facebook Tuesday evening that the theater targeted Taylor because he is Black.

“A close friend of my daughters went to see the Avengers with friends, the weekend after 8th grade graduation. He forgot to wear a belt. He happens to be black,” Kerr wrote, before adding that the police officer “roughed him up, hand cuffed him, threw his popcorn and soda in the trash, gave him a trespassing charge and an impending court date.”

Kerr also noted that Taylor is the “most respectful middle school boy she’s ever met and she’s “appalled” that a 14-year-old teenager knows what handcuffs feel like. “I hope to find out if there is more I can do to help the situation. I hear the new AMC theatre is pretty awesome and I’m happy to boycott the Warren,” she wrote.

Stunned by what happened, Taylor says he likely won’t be returning to the East Warren 20.

“If he’s (manager) there, I honestly don’t want to go back,” he said. “I’d rather go to a movie further than that.”

East Warren 20 did not immediately respond to messages left seeking comment, according to KAKE News. Police are reviewing security camera footage of the incident. It is unclear whether Taylor will face charges.