Bucks’ Henson says store owner gave ‘sincere’ apology for treatment
Bucks forward John Henson says he received a “sincere” apology for the way he was treated at a Milwaukee-area jewelry store on Monday.
In an Instagram post that has since been deleted, Henson detailed at length his frustration with the store owner at Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers in Whitefish Bay, Wisc. Henson said he was denied entry to the store as he attempted to shop for a watch, after which police came and questioned him about the dealer plates on his vehicle.
“This was one of the the most degrading and racially prejudice things I’ve ever experienced in life and wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Henson wrote. “You have no right to profile someone because of their race and nationality and this incident needs to be brought to light and I urge anyone who ever is thinking of shopping here reads this and doesn’t bring any business to this discriminatory place.”
On Tuesday morning, Henson met with the store’s president, Tom Dixon, at the Bucks’ training center and discussed the matter with reporters after the team’s shootaround.
“He was sincere in his apology,” Henson said of the meeting, according to the Journal Sentinel. “He knew that shouldn’t have happened. He’s had some prior incidents, but it still doesn’t make it right for them to do what they did. It’s a real issue, but right now I want to focus on the game tonight (vs. Minnesota) and there will be time to talk about it later. I am going to do some things to raise awareness of situations like that and go from there.”
Whitefish Bay police had been watching the store after suspicious calls on Friday in addition to past robberies. The police report says that Henson was eventually allowed into the store, after which the owner asked that two officers stay while Henson shopped, a request that was denied.
Henson, 24, was Milwaukee’s first-round pick in 2012 out of North Carolina.
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