Three black men have filed a lawsuit against American Airlines, claiming they were unfairly removed from a plane due to discrimination.
The lawsuit alleges that the men were removed from the plane following a complaint from a white flight attendant about the smell of an unidentified passenger. A lawsuit was recently filed in New York regarding an incident that took place on January 5. Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, who did not know one another and were not seated together, boarded American Airlines Flight 832 from Phoenix to New York.
RELATED: Flight Attendant Bathroom Recording: American Airlines Blames 9-Year-Old Girl
Prior to departure and shortly after the pilot announced a potential early arrival time, the lawsuit alleges that an American Airlines representative approached Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal individually and instructed them to deplane without providing any reason. Furthermore, the lawsuit states that in addition to the three plaintiffs, five other Black male passengers were also removed from the aircraft. Footage of the event captured the plaintiffs questioning the reason behind their removal, as it appeared that every Black male passenger on the flight was being singled out for displacement.
“What happened to us was wrong. Imagine a flight attendant ordering every white person off a plane because of a complaint about one white person,” said the three plaintiffs, Alvin Jackson, Emmanuel Jean Joseph, and Xavier Veal, in a statement.
“That would never happen. But that is what happened to us. There is no explanation other than the color of our skin. American Airlines singled us out for being Black, embarrassed us, and humiliated us. Clearly, this was discrimination.”
Following American Airlines’ offer to reschedule their flight, it was revealed after an hour that there were no available alternative flights to New York that evening, as outlined in the lawsuit. Subsequently, the passengers were permitted to re-enter the plane, resulting in a delay of over an hour for the flight.
“What happened to the plaintiffs strongly suggests that American Airlines racially profiled them,” said Susan Huhta, partner at Outten & Golden and attorney for the plaintiffs.
“If American Airlines received a complaint about a Black male passenger with offensive body odor but could not verify the complaint, the solution should not have been to eject eight separate Black men from the plane. This incident is consistent with a disturbing history of allegations that American Airlines discriminates against Black passengers. We look forward to getting these men justice and, hopefully, decreasing the likelihood that American Airlines ever does this to another Black passenger.”
American Airlines is just like the Country it’s named after! 🤣 Paranoid racist assholes! I guess Caucasoids don’t stink! That’s hilarious! Most were taught how to wash by People of color! FACTS! I won’t be flying American! A boycott should take place to make them feel some consequence of their OVERT RACISM!!! 🤣😆😄🙂🤔🤨😠😡🤬🖕🏾
While the story certainly reflects on the behaviour of the AA hosts racial undertaking, I certainly hope these three gentlemen will receive an end result that supports there argument or even the “person/person’s” angst toward them. The idea that they were removed for an hour because there was a stench cascading from one to all of them doesn’t seem a plausible one as it should have been an obvious during entry into the plane or even prior to within the boarding waiting area.
Just to verify, I have never been on an AA let alone been to America but I have been racially bullied in situations growing up with under-toning remarks of racism through most of my life, we grew up with it, didn’t tolerate it personally and let it be known in those occasions.
So my reply and point is that it doesn’t condone every single one of those living in a particular country that holds racism, we can’t control individuals that feel there angst is justified nor can we hope to educate those who are bought up with racism. All I have ever hoped for since I was young is to have an obvious educated process in colour coding racism ended, I don’t think that’s hard to ask or do and it has to start from the top an work it’s way through constantly, having to retaliate to there level is exactly how they expect it, it isn’t conducive to the cause, having a genuine solution may if we had one, maybe making it a legal policy put through within this case coming forward… wishful thinking.