NYC Police Union Calls for Boycott of Dunkin Donuts After Discrimination in Bed-Stuy

Don't be surprised to see cops avoiding Dunkin Donuts/Baskin-Robbins — the head of a local police union has called for a boycott of the chain after a perceived slight at a Bed-Stuy location of the chain.

The call comes after two plainclothes NYPD officers with visible badges claimed they were denied service at the store at 1993 Atlantic Avenue, where an employee told them he doesn’t serve cops, the Post reports.

The shop received a series of calls asking why it doesn’t serve cops following the perceived slight. The president of police labor union Detectives’ Endowment Association, Michael Palladino, issued a statement saying the discrimination was “disgraceful and it should not go unattended.” He asked detectives and their families to avoid all locations until Dunkin Donuts corporate issues an apology.

In his statement, he pointed fingers at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration as fostering an anti-cop environment. “Political leaders in this city have encouraged this type of behavior by constantly demonizing cops and pushing their decriminalization agenda,” he says. He admitted to assuming this is an isolated incident.

But a manager of the store disputed the account, saying the police simply weren’t standing in the right place to an order. Instead, the two men waited in the area where people pick up their doughnuts, the manager claimed, adding that they did not realize they were officers at the time.

Update: The mayor and NYPD commissioner James O’Neill decried the Dunkin Donuts employee for the incident. Corporate Dunkin also issued a statement saying that the franchise owner has personally apologized to the officers. “Our franchisees are committed to serving each and every guest with respect and courtesy,” the statement said.

This isn’t the first time the chain has been accused of discriminating against customers. Last year, employees at a Forest Hills location ridiculed a Chinese customer for her accent. Her chronicling of the incident on Facebook drew thousands of responses for over a week, even after the company issued a lukewarm apology.

• Dunkin’ Donuts worker is accused of refusing to serve NYPD cops [NYP]