Clayton, Mississippi police ordered 6 squad cars to find the men who left IHOP without paying their tab but approached the wrong group.
Earlier this month, 10 students that attend Washington University were stopped by Clayton police and questioned for allegedly leaving IHOP and not paying their tab. According to STL Today, some of the students presented their receipts but the officers still forced all of them to walk three blocks back to the restaurant with police cars following them.
Once they returned to the restaurant, the manager confirmed that they were not the teens they described.
In an email, Rob Wild, associate vice chancellor for student transition and engagement at Washington University said, “the students were shaken and upset” about the situation. He continued, “this is obviously extremely disappointing. Not how any of us would like to welcome our new students.” Wild noted that the students “did not really appear to fit the description of the suspects other than being black.”
“Certainly, I’m sorry they were inconvenienced and anxious about what happened. That was not our intent,” Clayton Police Chief Kevin R. Murphy said when the Washington University officials contacted him. An internal review is underway and Murphy hopes to speak with students this week about the incident.
Jill Friedman, vice chancellor for public affairs released a statement on behalf of the University that said, “We are deeply concerned and disappointed that anyone — certainly any of our students — would experience what transpired.” She continued, “The fact that these 10 students, all of whom are African-American, were scared and humiliated is unacceptable to us. We have shared that sentiment directly with the City of Clayton and have had an opportunity to meet with city leaders to reiterate our concerns. Conversations continue, and we are hopeful that our students will hear directly from the City of Clayton with both an explanation and an apology.”
