Attorney General Letitia James Wins Lawsuit Against Former Schenectady Bumpy’s Polar Freeze Owner

Attorney General Letitia James just got another victory in court, and this time it’s against the former owner of Bumpy’s Polar Freeze, David Elmendorf.

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If you think back to the summer of 2020, you will certainly remember the large protests out of a Schenectady ice cream shop, Bumpy’s Polar Freeze. The establishment was embroiled in controversy with the community's overall racial slurs that the shop's owner had posted online.

Members of Black Lives Matter accused the shop owner, David Elmendorf, of using the N-word online. In addition to making racial slurs, Elmendorf was accused of underpaying his employees and refusing to hire Black people. Court records also show that once the protests began, he called the police on the protesters and made false allegations against them.

Attorney General Leticia James took the shop owner to court and she won. She said, “There is zero tolerance for harassment, intimidation, or violence of any kind against anyone in New York. As this nation continues to be plagued by division and hate, this decision sends a critical and clear message that those who perpetrate racism and discrimination, including filing false, race-based police reports, will be held to the fullest extent of the law.“

The mayor of Schenectady was also pleased with the court's outcome. Mayor Gary McCarthy says that decision shows that hatred and racism toward the community will not be tolerated.

Mr. Elmendorf has a reputation of showing zero consideration or appreciation to the customers that he was supposed to serve. Because of his hateful actions, the court has ordered him to pay $4500 to members of Black Lives Matter who were impacted by his racist behavior.