Members of the Wright family called for accountability on Tuesday as they told a news conference their version of how things unfolded on
After the Wright family spoke out, the plane returned to the gate and staff said they would find a remedy.
Wright, 55, said a white passenger who had complained about the delay and demanded to leave was asked to disembark with his young son. But to Wright's surprise, he and his daughter were also asked to leave the plane and were allegedly not told why.
His daughter,
"I couldn't believe that asking a question could lead to what happened to us and I do believe it was (racial profiling) because there were other people that were definitely concerned about their things when they overheard my complaint and nobody else was asked to get off the plane," she said.
Her father said being escorted from the rear of the craft created a deep embarrassment. "Completely, deeply hurt as a human being that this was happening to me."
Seven other members of the family — ranging in age from five to 60 — were also removed from the flight. Wright said another Black family was also asked to leave the plane but was finally allowed to stay when they said they weren't travelling with the Wrights.
Wright said that after his family left the plane they were met by six officers, including
"I couldn't believe what was happening here just for asking for the service that
The family had to scramble to find an alternate flight for nine people after an
"By the grace of God, we were able to make the cruise with 20 minutes to spare," Wright said.
Before getting on a return
The family said Tuesday it intends to file racial profiling complaints with the
In an emailed statement,
"However, these actions were taken only for the safety and well-being of our other customers and crew," Hennebelle wrote. "Should a complaint on this matter be filed with the competent authorities, we will take the opportunity at that time to explain our decision."
Fo Niemi, executive director of CRAAR, said each family member could seek up to
"We hope that this incident will compel not only
This report by The Canadian Press was first published
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