Cici’s manager refused to serve customer in Black Lives Matter shirt, Texas suit says

A Cici’s Pizza manager is accused of refusing to serve a customer in a Black Lives Matter shirt and children in Texas, according to a lawsuit.

Grace Bullard went to a Cici’s location in Cedar Hill, a Dallas suburb about 30 miles southeast of Fort Worth, with three young relatives in July 2018, a federal lawsuit filed last week says. Before she could finish putting in her food order, a manager looked at her shirt and refused to serve the family, it says.

The manager called police on Bullard when she asked to speak with the company’s corporate office, according to the lawsuit.

“The three children with (Bullard) were ages 8, 5, and 4 years and were scared and upset to see the police arrive,” the lawsuit says. (She) was never disorderly during the entire incident.”

In a statement to McClatchy News, the company says it is investigating.

“At Cicis, we pride ourselves on the mutual respect and relationships we cultivate with our customers and the communities we serve,” the company said. “We are currently investigating this incident and have reached out to the franchise owner of the location for more information.”

After the manager insisted Bullard be given a criminal trespass warning, she went to her car and called the corporate office, according to the lawsuit. Cici’s returned her call the next day saying it would investigate but never contacted her again, the lawsuit says.

Then Bullard asked the Dallas NAACP for help. When an investigator with the organization went to the restaurant, the police were called on him too, according to the lawsuit.

This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 5:24 PM.