Exactly what I thought when I watched the tape. There's a third young man wearing blue jeans. He's at the far end of the counter and it looks like he takes something from a shelf and puts it in his pocket. When Michael is leaving the store with his friend Dorian, you can see the third guy standing just outside the door of the store. Was this young man questioned? Did the store clerk accuse him of a theft? Was Michael annoyed that the clerk accused him? (Michael doesn't appear to see the third guy put something in his pocket). The tape is utterly unclear and proves NOTHING. Hardly a "strong-armed" robbery. Yes, Michael shoves the clerk--bad behavior. That much is true. But he then moves toward the clerk and almost makes a stereotypical gesture of threat, as if he's playing the role of "scary big black man" because he knows that's how the clerk perceives him. Clearly his actions weren't deemed serious enough for the clerk to call the police. Compare this to the video of the white college guys who stole $150 worth of food from a restaurant's walk in freezer several months ago. These white guys were caught on video laughing and preening in their underwear, apparently confident that their buff bodies and self-satisfied smiles would charm people into viewing their crime as "harmless"--just "boys being boys"-which I guess is okay unless you happen to be a black boy......It's gotta take its toll on you when every day of your life you're viewed with suspicion and fear simply because you're a large black man, or in this case, a large black boy........Put yourself in his shoes. I'm amazed at his restraint........
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