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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Employees of Seattle suburb to undergo bias training

Associated Press

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Employees of a Seattle suburb will undergo implicit bias training after police asked a black man to leave a frozen yogurt shop because employees said he made them feel uncomfortable.

The Seattle Times reported Thursday that Kirkland City Manager Kurt Triplett and police Chief Cherie Harris will also include members of the City Council in the training.

Police on Nov. 7 asked 31-year-old Byron Ragland to leave Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, where he was supervising a court-sanctioned outing by a mother and her son.

Outrage led police to announce they have launched an internal investigation, and the city apologized Monday.

Officials didn’t say if the officers violated any laws or policies.

The incident followed the high-profile arrests of two black men at a Starbucks coffee shop in Philadelphia.