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LISTEN: Call made to Whitefish Bay police Monday, October 19th from Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers:
LISTEN: Call made to Whitefish Bay police Monday, October 19th from Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers:
WHITEFISH BAY -- FOX6 News has obtained 911 calls between Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers and Whitefish Bay police Friday, October 16th and Monday, October 21st. This, after Milwaukee Bucks forward John Henson alleged racial profiling after a visit to the store on Monday.
John Henson
Police say what happened at Schwanke-Kasten on Monday stemmed from a misunderstanding about the dealer plates on Henson's vehicle.
Officers were first called out to Schwanke-Kasten on Friday, October 16th -- after they were called about suspicious telephone calls made to the store by folks inquiring about when the store would close.
Police say those calls came in on Thursday and Friday -- and a decision was made to close the store a half-hour early on Friday as a result of those calls.
Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers
Dispatcher: “Police and fire dispatch?”
On Sunday, police say Tom Dixon, Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers' owner, came into the Whitefish Bay police station to report that a Green Bay store that sells Rolex watches was burglarized overnight. He provided a surveillance photo from that incident of a white male in a mask -- and requested extra watch at his store when it opened on Monday.
On Monday, another call was made to police from Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers. Schwanke-Kasten officials reported the vehicle seen on Friday at the store had returned.
Dispatcher: “Police and fire, how can I help you?”
Caller: “This is Patty Dixon calling from Schwanke-Kasten. We had some suspects Friday -- they had stolen plates on their car. The officer told us if they came back, we’re supposed to call again. They are at our front door now and we’re not letting them in.”
Dispatcher: “Okay, what kind of suspects? Can you describe them? Male or females?”
Caller: “They’re…what are they? I can’t see them. Two… two black males. One tall, one real short.”
Dispatcher: “Males?”
Caller: “Males, black, African-American males.”
Dispatcher: “And it’s the same suspects from last week Friday’s incident?”
Caller: “Um, they were here Friday at 5:30 when we closed.
Dispatcher: “And they’re at the store?”
Caller: “They’re…one is at the front of the store.”
Dispatcher: “What’s the address there?”
Caller: “417 East Silver Spring.”
Dispatcher: “Is the door locked?”
Caller: “The doors are locked.”
Dispatcher: “Okay, I’m going to get squads going. Just stay on the line.”
Caller: “They’re just at the door. They haven’t done anything -- but they did have stolen plates on their car and…”
Dispatcher: “How do you know that?”
Caller: “Because the officer that was here on Friday called to tell us that, and he said if they come back we’re supposed to call.”
Caller: “We haven’t let them in because we were closed when they were here on Friday because… “
Dispatcher: “What are the stolen plates?”
Caller: “I’m not out on the floor right now…”
Dispatcher: “So you don’t see it?”
Caller: “On Friday when they were here, they were, I believe MV-777 and they were dealer plates.”
Dispatcher: “They’re dealer plates?”
Caller: “Yes, and the Whitefish Bay police officer that was here on Friday said that they were stolen off a car…”
Dispatcher: “Was it a red Tahoe Patty?”
Caller: “Yes, it was a red Chevy Tahoe.”
Dispatcher: “Do you see that red Tahoe out there?”
Caller: “I don’t see it. I’m hiding in the office. I don’t want them to see me out there. We’re pretending like we’re closed.”
Dispatcher: “Oh, okay.”
Caller: “So no one is on the floor. We’re not opening the door. We’re just staying in the back.”
Dispatcher: “Can you… you can’t see them though right now?”
Caller: “I’m trying to look at the monitor. They are at the front door. They’re looking in the window. They’re just kind of pacing back and forth. I don’t feel comfortable letting them in. I just really don’t at all.”
Dispatcher: “Okay.”
Caller: “It just seems bad to me.”
Dispatcher: “Let me know when you see officers out there. They’re kind of in the area right now.”
Shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Monday, officers were dispatched to Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers.
Police say officers met up in front of 5500 N. Berkeley, which is around the corner from Schwanke-Kasten. They observed two men in front of the store. The officer ran the license plate of the Tahoe the men arrived in, and it came back to a Ford dealership and came back as "no vehicle attached" and was not listed as stolen.
Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers
The two Whitefish Bay officers approached the two men in front of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers and asked what was going on. A man, later identified as John Henson, informed the officer that he was there to buy his first Rolex, but every time he tries the door, it's locked, and they don't let him in. One of the officers asked him about the dealer plates on the Tahoe, and police say Henson told them he plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, and that the Bucks players get vehicles from this dealership. Neither officer asked Henson or his companion for drivers licenses or any other identification.
The officer called dispatch to request that a Schwanke-Kasten employee come to the front door.
The employee told the dispatcher to have the officer come to the back door.
Caller: “Schwanke-Kasten?”
Dispatcher: “Is this Patty?”
Caller: “Yes.”
Dispatcher: “Whitefish Bay dispatch. I have officers there and they’d like you to come to the door please.”
Caller: “Why? I don’t feel like it. Why do I have to come to the door? Can an officer come to the back? I’m not coming to the front door.”
Dispatcher: “Okay, they’re going to come to the back. Can you meet them in the back then?”
Caller: “Who’s coming?”
Dispatcher: “The officers are out there with those subjects and I have an officer that would like to speak with you Patty. Now he’s going to the back door per your request.”
Police say when an officer informed the Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers employee that it was a Milwaukee Bucks player looking to enter the store, the employee came to the front door and let them in. The employee requested that an officer stand by as they looked at the Rolexes -- but police refused, and left the store.
The officers then left the area.
After this incident on Monday, John Henson took to Instagram -- alleging racial profiling at Schwanke-Kasten:
Tom Dixon, the store's owner, met with Henson face-to-face on Tuesday -- and offered him an apology:
The following statement was issued Tuesday by Dixon after he met with Henson:
Henson had this to say about the apology:
"It doesn`t make it right. It's unfortunate. I came at the time where things were happening to the store -- but at the same time, I think steps could have been taken to prevent what happened (Monday) had someone come to the door and said, 'can I help you?'" Henson said.
The president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP issued a statement on Wednesday -- saying this incident was "a blatant example of the type of racial profiling and stereotyping that occurs all too often in situations involving retail services, law enforcement and other aspects of life." The NAACP president went on to say the "closed-door apology" to Henson is "not enough."