October 25, 2013 | By @ralphieblackmon | Revolt TV

“You see it’s broke n–ga racism / That’s that ‘Don’t touch anything in the store’ / And it’s rich n–ga racism / That’s that ‘Come in, please buy more’”—Kanye West, “New Slaves”

As public backlash against luxury retailer Barneys continues to mount following two separate racially-charged incidents that took place at its Madison Avenue flagship store, all eyes are now on Jay Z and his now-awkward partnership with the retailer.

On April 29, Trayvon Christian, 19, was arrested and chastised by New York Police Department officials on suspicion that he purchased a $349 Ferragamo belt with a fake credit card. “They said my card wasn’t real, it was fake. They said someone at Barneys called to report it,” Christian told New York Daily News. “The detectives were asking me, ‘How could you afford a belt like this? Where did you get this money from?’” he said. Handcuffed and taken to the 19th Precinct, Christian was eventually released after authorities determined that his credit card was authentic.

Just two months prior, another instance of racial-profiling took place at the store, with 21-year-old Kayla Phillips getting stopped by four plainclothes detectives after purchasing a $2,500 Céline handbag. Just like in Christian’s case, Phillips was stopped because Barneys employees believed she was committing credit card fraud.

With frustration continuing to build on the issue, with many online and from local communities voicing their opinions—“guess where I won’t be christmas shopping for mom this year,” tweeted Questlove—a petition has been sparked on change.org, calling for Hov to “End all partnerships with Barneys New York.” Administered by Derick Bowers, a fellow Brooklyn native, the petition has already amassed nearly 4,000 signatures.

“Without his vast wealth and brand power, they would see him the same as they see Trayon Christian,” Bowers writes in the petition. “Jay Z should be appalled by Barneys’ actions, and withdraw all support from them. If he does this, he will send a clear message to all corporations that are likeminded, that this behavior cannot be tolerated any longer.”

Given the Roc mogul’s influential power, it’s understandable why many like Bowers are hoping Jay— who is working with Barneys on a Christmas collection— backs out of the partnership in light of these allegations. Remember when he put the cork back into Cristal in 2006, deciding to boycott the champagne company—after years of boasting (and promoting) about it in-rhyme—after the high-end company mentioned the hip-hop love it was getting as, what was described in a magazine article, “unwanted attention.” The comments left a bad taste in Jigga’s mouth, eventually deciding to boycott them. Now, he seems to be in familiar territory given this latest racial profiling incident.

Kanye’s Controversial Tour Merch Reinterprets Confederate Flag

“He has to do something, because at the end of the day these kids look up to him,” says one resident, Roses Malone, 24, from Marcy Houses—a housing development in the Brooklyn area where Jigga grew up. “He’s someone that came from the ‘hood, and knows a lot about how hard it is to move in this world where racial profiling is always a roadblock. This would’ve, and I’m pretty sure it has, happened to him many times back then.”

“If Jay Z continues to do a campaign with this racist store, he’s dirt in my book,” tweeted Michele Mimi Evans on Twitter. “Barneys & NYPD collab & profile black teen. Jay-Z does holiday season business w/ Barneys. Something no adding up,” wrote another concerned citizen, Ray Baker (@RayBakerMedia).

It should also be noted however, that 25% of the proceeds from Jay Z’s Barneys collection will benefit his Shawn Carter Foundation, which he established with his mother Gloria Carter ten years ago. While it is a beautiful notion, the kind of noise these incidents have made makes this situation a tough tree to climb.

Clearly in damage-control mode, Barneys’ CEO Mark Lee has agreed to meet with New York civil rights leaders to launch an internal investigation led by Michael Yaki, a longtime civil rights advocate.

“Barneys New York believes that no customer should have the unacceptable experience described in recent media reports, and we offer our sincere regret and deepest apologies,” the retailer revealed in its Facebook page. “To this end, we are conducting a thorough review of our practices and procedures as they relate to these matters to ensure that they reflect our continued commitment to fairness and equality.”