Fans have accused Bank of America staff of “racism”, after Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was mistaken for a robber when he tried to withdraw money from his own account at a branch in Atlanta.
The 35-year-old filmmaker was detained by Atlanta police in January after a bank teller wrongly thought he was committing a robbery.
Coogler walked into the bank wearing sunglasses and a face mask and handed the teller a slip with a note written on the back.
According to a police report obtained by TMZ this week, the note read: “I would like to withdraw $12,000 (£9,000) cash from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.”
The teller – said to be a pregnant Black woman by several media reports that cited a police report – believed a robbery was taking place. When the police arrived, they placed Coogler and two other people in handcuffs, before letting them all go.
The police report allegedly states that when the teller made the transaction on their computer, an alert was triggered and they notified their boss that a robbery was taking place.
Black Panther fans are “outraged” by Bank of America’s action.
“I don’t even know what to say other than, F*** RACISM,” one person wrote. “Shame on Bank of America.”
Another person added: “Black people in this god damn country can’t withdraw money from their own account without being painted as criminals. I f***ing hate it here. F*** this god damn place.”
Another user wrote: “The situation with Ryan Coogler is a perfect example of why the folks who think class is a much more important consideration than race have no idea what they’re talking about. Having wealth does not shield Black people from racism.”
“Bank of America should have never done that to Ryan Coogler... racist a** shit,” wrote another fan.
Coogler was in Atlanta for the filming of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the sequel to the record-breaking Black Panther.
The Marvel movie’s production has been beset by complications including an injury to Letitia Wright, who resumes her role as Shuri, along with a controversy over her Covid-19 vaccine post. Wright deleted her Twitter account in 2020 after being criticised for sharing an anti-vaccination video.
After the incident took place, Coogler told TMZ: “This situation should never have happened. However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
