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“Fruitvale” Premiere – 2013 Sundance Film Festival

Forest Whitaker may be an Academy Award-winning actor, an accomplished director and producer, plus a millionaire, but in NYC (and several other streets across America), he is just another shifty Negro in the eyes of your average racist.

While on his way out of the Milano Market on the Upper East Side on Friday he was stopped by a deli employee and accused of swiping an item from the shelf.

More from TMZ:

An eyewitness tells TMZ … the employee proceeded to frisk Whitaker in plain view … treating him as if he were a common criminal.

Shocker, the employee’s pat down yielded zilch … and Forest left the establishment baffled and angry.

Whitaker’s rep tells TMZ, “This was an upsetting incident given the fact that Forest did nothing more than walk into the deli. What is most unfortunate about this situation is the inappropriate way store employees are treating patrons of their establishment.

“Frisking individuals without proof/evidence is a violation of rights.”

The rep adds, “Forest did not call the authorities at the request of the worker who was in fear of losing his employment. Forest asked that, in the future, the store change their behavior and treat the public in a fair and just manner.”

To that worker: If you’re not trying to lose your job, lose your racism.

By the way, Whitaker is the producer of the film Fruitvale, which chronicles the death of Oscar Grant following an officer who racially profiled him shooting him at the BART train station in Oakland.

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