Safeway has resolved a dispute with an African-American teen who said he was racially profiled and wrongly accused of stealing in one of their stores.
The grocery chain will make contributions to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance School, Food Bank of the Rockies and South High School as part of the resolution.
Brandon Anderson-Thayer, now 18, filed a discrimination complaint against Safeway with Denver’s Anti-Discrimination Office for an incident that occurred Oct. 14, 2008, inside the store at 1635 S. Colorado Blvd. in Denver.
Anderson-Thayer, then 17, said he and two other teen boys, one also African-American and the other a Pacific Islander, were targeted because of their races.
He said he was handcuffed by store security, detained and searched by Safeway employees who were looking for stolen merchandise. None was found.
The city’s anti-discrimination office issued a finding that Anderson-Thayer had been discriminated against, paving the way for him to file a lawsuit.
Safeway officials had denied the allegations and said the anti-discrimination office finding had more to do with Safeway missing a deadline for an administrative request made by the agency.
Anderson-Thayer will withdraw all legal claims in exchange for the charitable contributions, said his attorney, Mari Newman.
“One of the things Brandon is happy about is making a difference in his community through facilitating contributions to these organizations,” Newman said.
The groups receiving the donations all have ties to the African-American community in Denver, she said.
Newman and Safeway spokesman Kris Staaf would not disclose the amount of the contributions.
Newman could not answer whether the issue of racial profiling was addressed with Safeway because the terms of the agreement are confidential.
Felisa Cardona: 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com
