A Black TikToker said she was racially profiled at an LA Citibank and now her videos have been watched over 33 million times

• A Black TikToker gained over 30 million views and sparked outrage with her videos about Citibank.
• Baby Storme accused the bank of not accepting a $30,000 check because she is Black.

A Black TikToker has gone hugely viral with a series of videos saying she was racially profiled at a bank in Los Angeles. The eight videos have cumulatively been viewed more than 33 million times, leading hundreds of people to encourage her to take legal action.

Baby Storme, a rock musician with 1 million TikTok followers, explained in her first video, posted on March 23, that she went into a Citibank to cash a $30,000 check her father gave her to pay next year's rent. She said that when she tried to deposit the money, employees immediately confiscated her check and later called police to the scene.

@babystorme ♬ original sound - Baby Storme

In the video, which has been viewed 24 million times, she can be seen crying, saying, "To think that I can't pay my rent right now, because of fucking racist ass bitches who work at fucking Citibank? Guess who's suing Citibank?"

It's by far the most viral post on her account, where videos tend to receive tens or hundreds of thousands of views each.

On March 23 and 24, Baby Storme posted two more videos which she said were filmed inside the bank. In one video with 6.7 million views, she can be seen arguing with two people. A man can be heard telling Baby Storme they are keeping her check for "further investigation," and the TikToker replied, "You don't wanna cash the check, because it's a $30,000 check, and I'm Black."

@babystorme ♬ original sound - Baby Storme

In another video with 1.3 million views, Baby Storme can be seen trying to leave the bank, and the same man tells her she cannot leave until the police arrive. The video ends before Baby Storme could be seen leaving the bank. The LAPD did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a statement provided to Insider, Citibank said they have spoken to Baby Storme and are "working closely with her to resolve the issue in question," adding, "We are taking this matter very seriously and have launched a thorough investigation into what transpired on Tuesday."

In a TikTok with 1 million views posted on March 24, Baby Storme wrote that Citibank "froze" her account, leaving her unable to access her money. Citibank declined to comment regarding this allegation.

@babystorme Reply to @loveajh ♬ original sound - Baby Storme

Clips from the video have also circulated on Twitter, where people have tagged Citibank in their tweets and called on them to fire the employees involved.

One tweet with 2,700 likes tagged Citibank above a clip from the video, saying, "This seems an awful lot like racial profiling." Another tweet with 55 likes said, "the tellers need to be fired and that branch should just shut down if THAT is how you treat customers."

—BUTTER GOLEM (@IAmOroro) March 23, 2022

— (@oheydj) March 23, 2022

Of the 97,000 comments on the original TikTok, most appeared to support Baby Storme and urged her to pursue legal action, "GET A LAWYER," one top comment with 64,000 likes said. Another comment with 23,000 likes, said, "Lawsuit."

In a subsequent video posted on March 24, the TikToker said she does not "know anything" about how lawsuits work, but is planning to research and find lawyers.

In the past, Black Americans have sued banks for racial discrimination because their checks were refused. However, in 2020, the New York Times reported that it is often difficult to win these cases in court because of a loophole in the Civil Rights Act 1964, which does not include banks in the list of business that legally cannot treat Black people differently.

Baby Storme is a musician who often posts updates about her life as a Black alternative rock singer. On March 25, she thanked commenters for their support in a TikTok and said she was taking a break from social media. "I don't want this situation to overshadow who I am and what I do and it's a shame that I had to go viral for something like this," she added.

Baby Storme did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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