A Greenbelt Boys and Girls Club fundraiser on Sunday, July 16 at Chipotle Mexican Grill on Greenbelt Road ended with angry parents, upset children, police interventions and accusations of racism. Coco Lee Tinsley explained that her team of national champion cheerleaders, girls ages 8 to 13, had planned the evening fundraiser to help pay for their competitions.
Tinsley said that the trouble started when store personnel started questioning if the people in line knew the team. “They said we couldn’t know all of the people who came in with flyers because they were not all black,” said Tinsley. “They asked a white customer if they supported us. They asked because they didn’t believe we knew any white people.”
“We were upset,” said Tinsley. She also said they had not done anything wrong. Several of the families had white and black parents. Friends and alumni were also multicultural.
Tinsley said Chipotle management cancelled the fundraiser during the event although, she says, they did not explain why. She also pointed out that her team has done this fundraiser before and understands the rules, so she does not know what rule they might have broken.
Chipotle corporate management said, “We are sorry to hear that a reminder of our policy from an employee escalated into a situation. An employee did call the police out of an abundance of caution to ensure the security of employees and guests. The incident was absolutely not racially motivated and the fundraiser was eventually cancelled after a refusal from the organization volunteers to follow fundraiser policy on site.”
Tinsley said the police were called several times. She adds that the Greenbelt police were very polite and professional. Police records verify that they responded to several calls from Chipotle. The records also show no arrests.
Since the July 16 incident, a parent who was there spoke to WUSA Channel 9 News. Several other people have written about the event on the Greenbelter’s list on Facebook.
Tatjana Dale, commissioner and head coach, Greenbelt Boys and Girls Club cheerleading, has tried to speak with management of Chipotle but has not had any success.
“We would like to formally thank the Greenbelt Police Department for their patience, kindness and service during this event,” said Dale. “Also, we are extremely thankful for the outpouring of support from individuals, families and other corporations.”