A rapper is considering legal action after he was banned from a grocery store for questioning a policy.

Rory Ferreira, known as Milo when he's performing, was at chain grocery store Shaw’s in Saco, Maine, with his wife and son on Tuesday evening (June 19) when he was asked to show ID for the sake in his cart. The clerk also asked for his wife’s identification, citing store policy. While his wife went to the car in search of her ID, Ferreira asked for a manager, who explained the system to him.

“I said that’s okay, I didn’t know about the policy, I want to know it's real,” Ferreira told The Portland Press Herald. “But I’m a young black man in America. I want to make sure I’m treated the same as everyone else.”

Ferreira says that comment upset the manager, and she made the cashier cancel the transaction.

“She then said, ‘I don’t have to sell you alcohol. I don’t have to sell you anything,’” he recalled. Ferreira and his family left the store, but when they arrived home, a police officer was waiting for them. The officer gave Ferreira a no-trespass order.

“It was the scariest thing in the world,” Ferreira said. “I’m a young black dude; I got tattoos; I’m a rapper. I did not know what the cop would do. I was very scared. And again, I still don’t know what I’m banned for.”

Ferreira’s stepdad went to Shaw’s to speak to the manager about the incident but received the same treatment. Ferreira and his family called the store’s corporate office and posted about the occurrence on social media, which led to a meeting with Shaw’s vice president and the Saco location’s store director. Both apologized for the incident and lifted the bans.

The manager, known only as Bethany, was not present.

“I wanted Bethany to apologize to me, my wife and my son,” Ferreira said. “I wanted her to say, 'Look, I lost my cool, I’m sorry, and you’re welcome back to the Shaw’s.'”

Shaw’s issued a statement apologizing for the incident and said the chain is conducting an internal investigation.

“At Shaw’s, we take situations like the one that occurred in our Saco, Maine, store this week seriously and investigate thoroughly when we receive any complaints regarding employee actions or behaviors in our stores that do not support our culture of courtesy, dignity and respect,” the statement said. “Last night, we reached out to the customer to begin a dialogue and today we personally met with him and members of his family to further discuss the situation as we continue to conduct our internal investigation.”

Rory Ferreira

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