There is a minor controversy in North Carolina after a couple of stores instituted new rules; one store posted a sign saying, “No Hoodies No Helmets No Backpacks”.

I have absolutely no idea how that is a racist message, but according to ABC News, some people think it is. It is obvious to me that the store employees want to be able to see the faces of the people who come in their store, and they don’t want backpacks because they’re too easy to use in shoplifting. One store owner refutes the charge of racial profiling by pointing out that other businesses have similar rules, like banks. Plus, I’’m not sure who is being racially profiled; do only black people wear hoodies in North Carolina? I thought that fashion piece was pretty universal. Anyway, the article is light on specifics of just who is protesting or how they are protesting, although in the video report they show a newspaper, so maybe there were letters to the editor.

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