A woman from St. Louis is out of a job after she was recorded refusing to let a Black man into the luxury apartment building where they both lived. The woman said she wanted to see proof that he was a resident before allowing him in the complex.
Twenty-four-year-old D’Arreion Nuriyah Toles shared the entire experience on Facebook. You can hear the woman repeatedly asking him if he lived there, and after he finally walked past her, she followed him into the elevator and all the way to his front door.
“To Be A Black man in America, & Come home, Women tries to stop me from coming into my building because she feels insecure, Downtown St. Louis luxury loft, because she don’t feel that I belong,” he posted. “Never really thought this would happen to me, but it did! Then 30 mins later police knock on my door, because she called! I was shocked this is America in 2018!”
According to TIME, the woman’s employer, a property management company named Tribeca-STL, said the interaction was “disturbing” and their company doesn’t “stand for racism or racial profiling.”
“The Tribeca-STL family is a minority-owned company that consists of employees and residents from many racial backgrounds,” read a statement on the company’s website. “We are proud of this fact and do not and never will stand for racism or racial profiling at our company.”
In response, D’Arreion said it was “obvious” that this was a “race thing” and he wishes the woman the best. “I am not mad at her. I am not upset with her,” he told KMOV. “I am not going to go after her legally or anything like that. I wish her the best.”
#Roommates, what are your thoughts on the situation?
TSR STAFF: Myeisha E. @myeisha.essex