Black lemonade stand owner says police questioned him while he opened his kiosk

Viktor Stevenson, the owner of Gourmonade, said four San Francisco Police Department officers approached him last week when he was checking the security system of his lemonade kiosk. One officer, according to him, had a hand on his gun. (Instagram)

A black owner of a gourmet lemonade stand in San Francisco claims he was approached by police officers on Thursday after someone in the neighborhood thought he was breaking into his own business.

Viktor Stevenson, the owner of Gourmonade, said four San Francisco Police Department officers approached him last week when he was checking the security system of his lemonade kiosk. One officer, according to him, had a hand on his gun, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“Four cops just hopped out on me guns almost drawn took my ID at my own store. This racist thing is out of control but it won't stop me! Living my dreams like they are golden because they are,” Stevenson wrote on Instagram.

“Being black at my business minding my business and someone called the police and said I was breaking in,” he added in a Facebook post. “People die because of this kinda misuse of police resources and racial profiling everyday.”

Stevenson said police officers asked him to prove that it was his business. “I said 'Absolutely. Like, I have the key,’” he recalled the incident to AJ+. “I opened and closed the doors.”

The incident follows a number of other recent examples of black residents in California facing authorities after being called on by others. Last month, a white woman reportedly called police on an 8-year-old black girl for selling water without a license.

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In May, another white woman called the police on a group of black residents who were having a picnic by the lake.

Stevenson has since received support from the community, posting a video on Saturday thanking everyone for the support. “Today was an epic day ... not just because we got to sell lemonade and I got to do what I love to do and my passion,” he said in the video.

“But people showed up and people were super human today. So many people came up from the neighborhood, locals and residents and business, and gave me hugs. And that's priceless,” he added.