According to The Washington Post, the bank was on high alert after no less than 10 recent attempts to cash bad cheques at the branch.
Huntington Bank issued an apology to McCowns: “Anyone who walks into a Huntington branch should feel welcomed. Regrettably, that did not occur in this instance and we are very sorry.”
Despite the explanations and apology, McCowns was still upset. “The person who made that phone call – that manager, that teller, whoever made that call – I feel as though they were judging,” he said.
With racial division in the US reportedly on the rise under current president Donald Trump, McCowns’ experience is not an isolated case. Twitter was outraged, with many calling the incident another example of the racism that is experienced by many on a daily basis.