I'm new to this board, so I'm not sure if this is the right forum to post in, but I wanted to share my recent experience at Disney Springs to help others who feel they were racially profiled.
I'm a college educated, 58 year old minority. I'm a grandfather. I wear shorts and solid button down shirts, nothing loud or outlandish. I don't have dreadlocks, I have short salt and pepper hair. I've never felt that I was ever racially profiled or discriminated at any Disney theme park. My wife and I recently went to an AMC movie at Disney Springs. It was very crowded because it was the $5 movie night. As I came down the Orange parking garage stairs, I noticed two security guards dressed in all black standing with a K9 at the Splitsville restaurant doors, approximately 350 feet from me. I noticed one of the guards immediately eyeballing me, staring me down as I reached the bottom of the stairs, his dog wasn't looking in my direction. My wife and I had to walk close to the storefront opposite Splitsville because it was so crowded, approximately 75 ft from where the guards were.
As we reached AMC, I tripped on something, it was the paw of the K9 that was close behind me. The guard who was eyeballing me was standing there. I didn't notice a badge. He asked if I was carrying a gun, I said no. A small crowd noticed what was going on and someone took a picture. I was carrying a small backpack and offered it for inspection, but he said it wasn't necessary and walked away. The only difference between me and the crowd between us was that I was a minority. My son's friend's father is the chief of police in a local town, I told him about the incident and asked if I was being paranoid or was I profiled. He said he didn't know, but at 350 ft, it's impossible that the K9 could have detected anything suspicious on me that would have triggered the guard to immediately stare at me, especially with the crowds walking between us. He said it's very rare, but some K9 officers have used their dog as the PC (probable cause) to stop and harass minorities because their K9 "detected" something. In my case, it's obvious that it wasn't the dog that instigated the stop, it was the guard.
The incident left a bad taste in my mouth, so the next day I reported the incident to Disney security. They said their K9 guards only wear blue shirts and it may have been an Orange County deputy. I called them and they said their K9 officers wear a green uniform. However, sometimes other local departments supplement the Orange County Sheriff Dept during busy times. To get to the bottom of this, I had to file a claim with Disney. That was the only way Disney would launch an investigation, so I did and waiting for the results. Once they identify the officer, I intend to file a misconduct complaint with his department's internal affairs office. The footage from Disney's surveillance cameras will leave little doubt to the conduct of the officer.
Racial profiling is repugnant in any form and NO ONE has to tolerate it. I was advised what to do next time and I'm sharing this information if it happens to you:
1. CALMLY, get the name, badge number and department of the guard/officer.
2. Note the time and location.
3. File a claim with Disney's claims department. They will launch an investigation. If you just notify the complaint line, they'll read it, but there's no guarantee of a follow up. You must file a claim for any serious action to be taken. In my case, I stated I am not interested in any compensation, I just wanted them to identify the officer involved.
Disney doesn't want the sheriffs and police officers who work on their property to racially profile and harass their minority guests. If they do, report them immediately. It's the only way to weed them out. Disney carries a lot of weight, if they don't want a particular officer on their private property, they can make it happen.
On a side note, the Orange County Sheriff I spoke with said the extra security was due to the recent mass shootings in Ohio and Texas and perhaps that's why I was stopped and questioned about carrying a gun. First of all, those shooters were both white males in their 20's. The Parkland FL shooter was a white male in his 20's. I'm a 58 yr old minority grandfather, I hardly fit that profile.