As if the list wasn’t long enough, going to the bank to cash a legitimate paycheck after working a 12-hour shift appears to be one of the things you can’t do in America—at least not if you’re Black. 

Joe Morrow’s “degrading” ordeal began in 2020, when he entered a U.S. Bank branch in Minnesota’s Columbia Heights, per KSTP News.  

Despite having an account with the bank and producing identification, bank manager John Askwith claimed Morrow’s $900 check was fake, prompting a fallout that included police calls, racial profiling allegations, threats of arrest and lastly, being placed in handcuffs. 

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“They were all looking at me and just staring at me. And then looking at the check and then staring at me again and I’m already knowing what they’re thinking – that the check (is) fake,” Morrow recalled to KSTP. “The manager? He came over and said, ‘Joe Morrow? Your check (is) fake.’ And I said, ‘what?’ He said, ‘you people always coming in here with fake checks.’” 

Police body camera video showed the bank manager called the employer to verify after officers took Morrow, 23, from his office, despite claiming he had called and been told the check was phony. Footage also showed Morrow claiming his innocence and informing Askwith he was going to report him for racial profiling, to which Sergeant Justin Pletcher warned him not to “say anything stupid because you’re going to get arrested for it.” 

According to Askwith he received a lot of fraudulent check bearing the UNFI logo, which is what Morrow’s check was printed on. Many community leaders and racial bias experts raise doubts and concerns, pointing out that if Morrow had been white, things would have turned out differently.  

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U.S. Bank continues to deny Morrow’s racial profiling claims and defend their actions in the bank that day, but have since quietly agreed to a confidential settlement and issued a public apology. 

“What Mr. Morrow experienced is not the experience any customer should have. All of our employees, including executive management, are required to complete two levels of unconscious bias training, in addition to other training to prevent bias and negative customer experiences,” said U.S. Bancorp’s chief executive officer Andy Cecere. “Sometimes, unfortunately, we don’t live up to our goals.” 

He stated they are reviewing and expanding employee training and guidance on how to engage with customers more compassionately, emphasizing the need of cultural sensitivity. Cecere added that enhancing racial equity has been and will continue to be a top priority for U.S. Bank. 

In a study examining unemployment, income and homeownership disparities between Black and white citizens, Minnesota is the second-worst state in the country for racial equality, WCCO News reported. The study showed that Black Minnesotans are 10 times more likely than white people to be incarcerated.   

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Minnesota has been the center of racial tensions following the death of George Floyd in police custody in May 2020. Floyd was killed when Derek Chauvin, a former police officer, kneeled in his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 years in prison in June. 

Tensions further ignited in April 2021, when former police officer Kim Potter killed Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old father, 13 miles from where Floyd was killed. Potter is charged with manslaughter in the second degree, alleging she shot Wright while mistaking her handgun for a Taser.

Morrow raised accountability concerns following the incident saying, “If you did something wrong, stand up and be accountable for what you did,” per KSTP.