Keyon Harrold Shares Video of Son Being Racial Profiled

The woman accused Keyon Harrold and his son of stealing her iPhone.

Over the weekend, Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Keyon Harrold posted a video of a racial profiling incident that occurred at a New York City hotel. In the video, an unidentified white woman can be seen aggressively accusing Harrold’s son of stealing her iPhone.

The woman’s phone was later found in an Uber after the encounter, but by then, the damage was done. The video has currently been viewed more than 1.4 million times.

“The lady in this video assaulted my 14-year-old son and me as we came down from our room in the Arlo Soho to get breakfast,” Harrold wrote on Instagram. “This person…”lost” her iPhone, and apparently, my son magically acquired it…she scratched me, she tackled and grabbed him. He is a child! This lady is not even a guest at the hotel.”

The hotel has released a statement, saying “more could have been done to de-escalate the dispute.” The woman has yet to be identified.

“We are hurt and saddened but we are not people who want anyone to be falsely accused or want to ruin someone’s life,” Harrold continued. “Let’s be mindful and spread love through this hatefulness. We will share the guilty party when we properly ID them. Until then, please do to others as you would want them to do to you.”

The boy’s mother, Kat Rodriguez, took to Instagram to express her shock and thank supporters. “The most painful feeling today as a parent was to feel helpless in protecting my child against racial hatred,” she wrote. “God cover him, please!”