Versace Exec Accuses Beverly Hills Police Of Racial Profiling

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — A Versace executive has accused Beverly Hills police of racial profiling, saying that he was stopped and searched by officers because he is Black.

The Beverly Hills Police Department said that Salehe Bembury, vice president of sneakers and men's footwear for Versace, was stopped for jaywalking near Camden Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, right near Rodeo Drive.

"Beverly Hills Police conducted a pedestrian enforcement stop at Camden Drive and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills after Mr. Salehe Bembury was observed committing a pedestrian violation," the police department said in a release. Jaywalking is considered an infraction in California, and violators can receive a base fine of $196. The BHPD statement said that the department has issued 61 pedestrian violations since January.

Police released body camera footage from Oct. 1 that shows officers asking Bembury why he was crossing against the light. "I jaywalked, I don't know what to say," Bembury admitted, saying he was looking at his GPS to see where he was going.

One of three officers then asked Bembury to show his ID, without reaching into his pockets, and then asked him put his arms behind his back while he's searched.

The officer asked Bembury if he had any weapons on him, and Bembury replied that he did not. Bembury told the officers he felt "super nervous," and asked if he could film the interaction with his cell phone.

"This feels a little excessive," Bembury said in the body cam footage, a portion of which he posted to his Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

Fear.
A post shared by Salehe Bembury (@salehebembury) on Oct 3, 2020 at 9:01pm PDT

"What's unfortunate is I literally designed the shoes that are in this bag and I'm f--ing being searched for them.

"So I'm in Beverly Hills right now and I'm getting f--ing searched for shopping at the store I work for, and just being Black," Bembury says in another video he filmed with his phone, holding up a Versace shopping bag to the camera.

"Now what you're doing is you're making a completely different narrative," the officer says.

Bembury then asked if the ID check showed anything on his record, and another officer said he was free to go. "BEVERLY HILLS WHILE BLACK," Bembury captioned the video he recorded. "I'M OK, MY SPIRIT IS NOT."

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BEVERLY HILLS WHILE BLACK. I’M OK, MY SPIRIT IS NOT.

A post shared by Salehe Bembury (@salehebembury) on Oct 1, 2020 at 5:16pm PDT

Donatella Versace, artistic director of the Italian luxury fashion house founded by her brother Gianni, condemned the incident in an Instagram post that shared one of the videos.

"I am appalled this happened to Salehe Bembury today," she wrote last week. He has been a consultant at Versace for a long time and the behavior he experienced is totally unacceptable. He was stopped on the street solely for the color of his skin. Stay strong @salehebembury. Sending you love and support."

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I am appalled this happened to Salehe Bembury today. He has been a consultant at Versace for a long time and the behavior he experienced is totally unacceptable. He was stopped on the street solely for the color of his skin. Stay strong @salehebembury. Sending you love and support x
A post shared by Donatella Versace (@donatella_versace) on Oct 2, 2020 at 6:52am PDT