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Protesters Tuesday called for a boycott of a Kirkland frozen yogurt shop days after its employees had a black man escorted out by police.

For 97.3 成人X站 Radio鈥檚 Gee Scott, the incident in question was clearly a case of racism. But the way it鈥檚 been handled since then, by both the store owner and the victim, have left him unsettled. Worse still, Scott said he believes the rhetoric has overshadowed an important conversation about racism.

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鈥淲hen this story first broke it hurt me,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淚t hurt me for him. It hurt me for Byron Ragland because I know that feeling. I know that feeling of feeling less-than in that time鈥� so it hurt when I heard that story. And I have to admit, I didn鈥檛 think it was going to go like this.鈥�

A quick summary on the incident: 31-year-old Byron Ragland is a court-appointed special advocate who was supervising a parent-child visit at a Kirkland Menchie鈥檚. The store鈥檚 owner called police to report that his employees were concerned that Ragland, who is black, looked 鈥渟uspicious.鈥�

A few things unfolded in the days that followed. First, the store鈥檚 owner, Ramon Cruz, claimed the incident was not about race. At a press conference days later, Ragland said he felt a more proper response would be to make sure Cruz will be unable to renew his business license, and that Ragland instead should buy his store.

鈥淗ere鈥檚 my question for everybody: What is the goal here?鈥� Scott said in response to Ragland鈥檚 statement.

Scott continued:

The goal, in my opinion, is that we can progress, so that we can prevent these things from happening again. Mr. Cruz not getting a store again does not progress things forward. Sometimes, yes, you鈥檙e right, apologies don鈥檛 feel that great. Especially when Ramon Cruz comes out and tries to tell us that it鈥檚 not about race. That鈥檚 where Mr. Cruz made his mistake, instead of just listening and taking accountability. But my goal in this, as a black man talking about this is, my goal (is to make us) more aware of these conversations.

There are two types of people with this story: There are those out there who agree that it was racism and there鈥檚 those out there that don鈥檛 agree. And that鈥檚 fine, you鈥檙e going to have that. But what we can鈥檛 have, is the conversation stopping. And when you make comments [about] taking the store and taking everything away from Cruz, then that鈥檚 where the conversation stops. And I don鈥檛 want the conversation to stop because I want things to progress. Like I said, the goal for me — and the goal should be for all of us — is that this should not happen again. And we want to get better at that.

Scott advocates for training for corporations and open conversations about racism. He also had one other suggestion: Friendships.

“I’m serious,” he said, adding that it’s important that someone meet and talk to people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures.

鈥淟et me ask you this: Have you ever said anything that was wrong? Have you ever said anything maybe racist or sexist or said something you shouldn鈥檛 have said? How did you learn (it was wrong)? I can tell you how you don鈥檛 learn: You don鈥檛 learn by somebody pointing at you and calling you this. We learn by continuing the conversation. That鈥檚 it right there.”

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