WHITEFISH BAY -- The president of the Milwaukee branch of the NAACP is the latest to issue a statement to FOX6 News following allegations of racial profiling by Milwaukee Bucks forward John Henson on Monday, October 19th. Henson said he was profiled while trying to visit the Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers store in Whitefish Bay. Police say what happened at Schwanke-Kasten stemmed from a misunderstanding about the dealer plates on Henson's vehicle.
John Henson
The statement issued by the NAACP on Wednesday, October 21st comes one day after the president of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers met with Henson and issued an apology to him.
Henson said police were called after the door was locked on him when he tried to enter Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers. He said in a post on Instagram (in part): "They locked the door and told me to go away. After I rang the doorbell twice, everyone went to the back. This was followed by two police cars pulling up."
Henson was then questioned by officers about his intentions and the vehicle he was driving.
"I never want anyone to go through that," Henson said on Tuesday. "It was a tough situation -- kind of a surreal moment."
John Henson's post on Instagram
The statement from the NAACP reads as follows:
Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers
The following statement was issued Tuesday by Tom Dixon, president of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers after he met with Henson:
Henson had this to say about the meeting and 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 Instagram post that started it all, posted by Henson on Monday, reads as follows:
Whitefish Bay police late on Monday evening released a lengthy statement to FOX6 News. The full statement is just below:
In June 2012, Henson was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. On October 19, 2013, the Bucks exercised their third-year team option on Henson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2014–15 season.
In October 2014, the Bucks exercised their fourth-year team option on Henson's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season.
In October 2015, Henson signed a four-year, $45 million contract extension with the Bucks.