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Mary MacCarthy of Los Angeles informed CNN she and her 10-year-old daughter, Moira, have been flying to Denver on October 22 after receiving information that MacCarthyโs brother had instantly died.
MacCarthy mentioned that they had a short cease in San Jose and boarded one other Southwest flight however realized then that they could not be seated collectively.
โI requested flight attendants if we may very well be seated collectively however they informed us we might every should take a center seat,โ MacCarthy mentioned. โSo with their permission I requested different passengers if they might kindly transfer so we may very well be collectively, particularly as my daughter was grieving, they usually did. Individuals are good.โ
โI acquired fairly a shock; having misplaced my brother the night time earlier than, I assumed that another person in my household had died and that police had been despatched to ship the information!โ MacCarthy wrote in an e mail to Southwest Airwaysโ media group, which was included within the police report.
โAs for my daughter, she was terribly frightened: she was already experiencing the trauma of her uncleโs dying, and he or she is petrified of police as a result of fixed headlines about how police deal with Black folks (she is Black). She started to sob and was inconsolable,โ her e mail mentioned.
The officers assured her nothing was mistaken however mentioned they needed to query her and her daughter, MacCarthy mentioned.
โThey mentioned they have been right here as a result of my daughter and I have been reported for suspicious conduct, appearing suspiciously earlier than boarding and whereas boarding,โ she mentioned.
โI took out my telephone and instantly began recording. I informed (the officer) who we have been and that my daughter was crying as a result of she had misplaced a member of the family,โ MacCarthy mentioned.
In accordance with a report from the Denver police, โEach Mom and baby have been cleared.โ
The report additionally famous that officers have been responding to a โattainable Human Trafficking reported by South West flight attendantโ โ however MacCarthy says she solely came upon two weeks later that she was suspected of human trafficking.
โI acquired a name from Denver Police human trafficking unit letting me know they have been following up on the incident,โ she informed CNN.
CNN reached out to the Denver Police Division on Sunday afternoon about MacCarthyโs declare however has not acquired a response.
MacCarthy accuses Southwest Airways of racial profiling. She says sheโs retained an lawyer and needs the airline to be held โabsolutely accountable.โ
โI gave the airline loads of time to contact me and apologize โ over two weeks later, Iโve but to obtain something greater than two transient automated responses. The time for an apology is long gone,โ MacCarthy mentioned.
In her e mail to Southwestโs media group, MacCarthy mentioned she needed a written apology from the airline, quick reimbursement of the complete value of their tickets, and โfurther compensation to account for the trauma imposed on an harmless household, and particularly on a grieving ten year-old Black woman.โ
Southwest Airways mentioned itโs โdisheartenedโ by MacCarthyโs account of the occasions and plans to succeed in out to her.
โWeโre conducting a assessment of the state of affairs internally, and we will likely be reaching out to the Buyer to handle her issues and supply our apologies for her expertise touring with us. Our Workers endure sturdy coaching on Human Trafficking. Above all, Southwest Airways prides itself on offering a welcoming and inclusive surroundings for the thousands and thousands of Clients who journey with us annually,โ Southwest Airways spokesperson Dan Landson mentioned in a press release to CNN on Sunday.
โHad this been a White baby, there wouldnโt have been a raised eyebrow,โ MacCarthyโs lawyer David Lane informed CNN.
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