This weekend saw a first for me in London.

On Saturday my girlfriend and I were in Waterloo when we decided to go to a shop that we had both wanted to visit for a long time. I won’t name the shop because this will not turn out well for them.

When we walked in we both said hello to the attendant of the small shop.
We looked around, sometimes together, other times apart. I noticed an older gentleman sitting by the window, reading a book.

This shop was not packed with business so I wondered why they would allow someone in their shop who was doing nothing but reading a book.

As I looked around the shop I noticed a stack of business cards on a shelf so I took one and placed in my pocket. Almost instantly, the shop attendant was on me asking if she could see what I had put in my pocket.

As she prepared to accuse me of theft, I slowly took out her own business card and showed it to her. Her face was a combination of confusion, frustration and a little embarrassment. We instantly left the store but, halfway down the street, I decided to go back and tell them what I thought of her accusation.

When we walked back in I calmly said, “I didn’t take anything from your store.” As the woman began to get very confrontational her colleague, I’m assuming husband, forcefully stepped in sweeping her aside.

He said that my, “mannerisms” had indicated that I probably was going to steal something from the store. (Remember that older guy from earlier? Apparently, he was the first to tip her off that I was...shifty.)

Further to that, the manager was, “preparing to call the police” because we had left so suddenly. As if he expected us to remain in the store and, potentially buy something, after being accused of theft!

He also said that someone had attempted to steal from his store earlier that week but that person was caught before they left the store.

This was the first time in my adult life where I was falsely accused of a crime and it was the first time in a long time that I knew exactly why.

This person’s reasoning for going after me was crystal clear.

I was a black man wearing a hoodie and dark jacket. As soon as I walked in I must have been all over their radar. He had no idea who I was. He had no idea that I teach drumming down the street from his shop. He does not know that I have two degrees and work 30 feet from the House of Commons. He had no idea that both my girlfriend and I were amateur enthusiasts of the products in his store.

All he saw, with no proof, was a black man walking into his shop with intent to steal.

What upsets me about this situation is if I had not returned to the store to confront the pair, they would have called the police. With no evidence, a person matching my description in the area would have been pulled over or detained on the word of a person who, probably, would not even have checked the inventory on the floor.

In south London there are thousands of men who look like me. Thousands who match my description and I know they would have been searched or brought back to the store.

Did that person have a good look at me? I mean a really good look? Would he have pressed charges against anyone they brought back? Would a person, falsely charged, calmly accept the accusation and trip to the police station or would they, rightly, freak out?

Variables upon variables.

What upsets me is that, had I not returned to that store, a chain of events could have been set off that could have resulted in an innocent person getting arrested for something that did not even happen.

In 2016 one would assume that my story would be rare, but whether it be here or in America, it is not.

(Side note- I wasn’t feeling that great on Saturday so I just said my peace and walked away. If I was feeling better this story may have turned out differently.)