Tag Archives: racism in America

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Olive Garden Manager Fired After Complying With Racist Request

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Olive Garden restaurant exterior...

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A manager from an Olive Garden in Indiana has been fired after complying with the demands of a racist customer, who requested a waiter who wasn’t of color.

According to the Huffington Post, 16-year-old hostess, Amira Donahue, took to Facebook to expose the incident after she and another her Black co-worker were targeted by a white couple while at work at the Evansville Olive Garden. According to the teen, the unidentified woman said “awful things” about her, including asking if she was “even from here” before suggesting that she should “work at a strip club instead.”

“All I said to this woman was ‘sorry I don’t know,’ ‘have a nice day’ and ‘excuse me’ when she was standing in the way of a extremely busy restaurant,” Donahue wrote.

On the post, a bystander confirmed the story, noting she saw that the manager comply with the woman’s racist request before vowing never to return to the restaurant.

“I’m never going back to the Olive Garden in Evansville. A few white people come in a says that they refuse service from a “colored” server and asks to speak with the manager,” patron Maxwell Robbins wrote. The manager without hesitation ensures that they will not receive service from a person of color. That couple should’ve been refused service for even asking something like that!! It’s disgusting that olive gardens manager would allow that especially with a very diverse staff.”

After the news broke, Olive Garden terminated the manager in question and according to an exclusive statement sent to Huffington Post, they fully operate with a zero tolerance towards discrimination workplace.

In an update to his post, Robbins said that he was glad to hear the manager had been terminated.

“We got done what needed to be done and it shows that we will not stand for any racism around here! I love all of y’all and I just want to say she is the sweetest host I’ve ever met at any restaurant, I’m glad Olive Garden took care of her.”

As of press time, Donahue told the Evansville Courier & Press that the she nor the server were emotionally ready for an interview.

Source: HipHopWired.com

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#BloombergIsRacist: Michael Bloomberg Blasted On Twitter For Supporting Stop And Frisk

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Mike Bloomberg

Source: Portland Press Herald / Getty

Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is fighting to improve his standing on the Democratic Party stage as a presidential hopeful, but a new hashtag on Twitter unveils potentially damaging viewpoints. On Twitter, #BloombergIsRacist has been trending with users alleging that Bloomberg supported policies that oppressed others. 

Political podcaster Benjamin Dixon unearthed a 2015 speech Bloomberg made at the Aspen Institute in where he defended New York’s stop and frisk policy, which unfairly targeted residents of color.

“Ninety-five percent of your murders, murderers and murder victims, fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops,” Bloomberg is heard saying.

He continued with, “You want to spend the money to put a lot of cops on the street. Put those cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods.”

Bloomberg also said in his speech that one of the ways to keep guns out of the hands of minorities is to, “throw them up against the walls and frisk them” as a means to deter anyone from doing so.

Dixon wrote via Twitter that Bloomberg suppressed the release of video from the Aspen Institute speech and it isn’t known how Dixon obtained it. However, the clip itself paints a picture that Bloomberg endorsed the rough treatment of minorities in the city despite the data showing how ineffective and racist the policy was.

In the midst of spending large amounts of money in his presidential campaign, it will be interesting to see Bloomberg’s reaction to the clip going viral on Twitter. Observers online have chimed in under the #BloombergIsRacist hashtag, and we’ve got those below along with Dixon’s initial tweet.

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Here’s The Proof: 10 Examples Of Rush Limbaugh Being Racist As Hell

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SOTU

Source: Tom Williams / Getty

Among the many baffling moments of President Donald Trump’s State Of The Union address, conservative blowhard Rush Limbaugh being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom is among the highest.

Limbaugh, 69, has been beating the drum for the right via his wildly popular radio show, The Rush Limbaugh Show since 1988. As a result of the show’s wide reach, Limbaugh has been considered by many to be a weaponized voice for conservatives and many of his controversial takes have stoked the fires of dissent between liberals who view his brand of commentary divisive and flat out racist.

Trump’s wife, First Lady Melania Trump, placed the medal around Limbaugh’s neck as he was flanked by his wife. The honor is the highest awarded to a civilian, placing the radio host in the company with the likes of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Michael Jordan, Sidney Poitier, and more.

Make no mistake about it, Limbaugh has made a career of being especially vicious with his commentary as it relates to people of color, especially Black Americans, and has aimed his bombast in the direction of anyone who dares to not share his and millions of listeners’ narrow view of politics.  Earlier this week, Limbaugh announced that he has been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer thus the timing of the award has an air of suspicion hanging over it.

Online, most especially Twitter, many observers were taken aback Limbaugh receiving the honor considering he is partly responsible for some of the agitated energy and combative nature of conservatives and Republicans who propelled Trump into the hallowed halls of the White House. In so many words, Trump awarding Limbaugh the Medal of Freedom feels like nothing more than a ploy to keep his based on his side and further drive a wedge between the opposing sides despite his many failures a leader.

Limbaugh’s given the world plenty of fodder over the years that point to his not-so-thinly veiled racist ways. We’ve got some of those moments listed on the following pages.

Salute to Media Matters for keeping track of Limbaugh’s comments for the people.

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Detroit Man Had Cops Called On Him For Trying To Cash Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Checks

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TCF Bank

Source: Star Tribune via Getty Images / Getty

Sauntore Thomas was hoping to deposit and cash the settlement checks from a racial discrimination lawsuit at a bank ina Detroit suburb when a teller called the cops on him over the legit cash. We’re pretty sure we don’t have to inform you that Mr. Thomas is a Black man.

Local news outlet WXYZ sat down with Thomas, 44, to learn more about the incident that took place in Livonia, Mich. and get details on a secondary lawsuit he’s launched against TCF Bank. According to Thomas, he entered the bank this past Tuesday to deposit two of three large settlement checks from a workplace racial discrimination lawsuit he launched against his previous employer and cash one of them so that he could purchase a vehicle.

Thomas says he was met with scrutiny by a teller, who was Black, and the bank was initially unable to confirm the legitimacy of the checks from Thomas’ Enterprise Leasing Company of Detroit lawsuit settlement. But before then, the bank claimed systems were down according to Thomas’ side of the exchange and that they held him up with questions about the deposits before bank staff sat him down and then called police. Thomas, who was alone, reportedly had four officers arrive on the scene according to Detroit Free Press.

After the police left after being unable to find a crime, TCF Bank launched a fraud investigation against Thomas according to his attorney, but he was able to get the checks deposited at another bank without incident. Thomas’ attorney, Deborah Gordon, told WXYZ that TCF Bank’s actions against her client is basically a case of “banking while Black.”

A statement was made by TCF Bank officials in a face-saving attempt clarifying that they couldn’t determine the source of the large checks. As Ms. Gordon noted, TCF tellers could have just called the bank that issued the checks to get the clarification they swore they couldn’t determine.

Hopefully, Thomas will hit TCF Bank in the pockets.

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West Point Officials Clear Cadets, Midshipmen Of Making Allegedly Racist Gestures

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 14 Army v Navy

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Controversy hung over the U.S. Military Academy at West Point during the annual Army vs. Navy football game earlier in the month where cadets and midshipmen were seen making “OK” hand signals. Although the hand symbols were initially deemed as gestures connected to white supremacy, West Point officials have cleared the men of any wrongdoing.

The game was played on December 14 and televised nationally where three Military Academy cadets and two Naval Academy cadets were shown flashing the “OK” gesture at various intervals. The symbol is said to be used among white supremacists thus an investigation was launched into the matter after the instance made waves in the news and online.

In a press release from West Point officials, it was determined that the men were playing the “circle game” and not promoting white supremacy. The object of the game is to make someone look at the “OK” gesture below the waist at the crotch level.

From West Point:

“We investigated this matter thoroughly,” said Lt. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, 60th superintendent, U.S. Military Academy. “Last Saturday we had reason to believe these actions were an innocent game and not linked to extremism, but we must take allegations such as these very seriously. We are disappointed by the immature behavior of the cadets.”

The investigator found that the game was being played in the stands before the ESPN host moved into the crowd. Based on the results of the investigation, those cadets involved will receive appropriate administrative and/or disciplinary actions.

“We develop leaders of character who serve to defend our nation and the American people, and we expect our cadets to lead and live honorably and demonstrate excellence. Leading and living honorably means to act in a professional manner at all times,” Williams said.

It wasn’t shared what exactly the disciplinary actions will be following the conclusion of the investigation.

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Here We Go Again: White Woman Calls Cops On Black UPS Delivery Person For Doing…His JOB

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US-UAE-DUBAI2020-UPS

Source: DON EMMERT / Getty

We’re running out nicknames for these colonizers. A Black UPS driver just doing his job delivering packages is the latest victim of a white woman crying wolf and calling the cops for no damn reason.

UPS employee Nedrick Peters recorded a confrontation between himself and a white woman that took place in Atlanta after she claims he looked “suspicious.” In the video that he shared on his Instagram on Wednesday (Nov.27), the woman claims she doesn’t understand why he is the neighborhood and that her car has been broken into multiple times.

“I’m going to need someone’s information to check up on you, because I don’t understand why you’re walking around this neighborhood with a bunch a packages.”

Peters responds to her ridiculous claims, “What? This is crazy.” She follows up with even more nonsense stating:

“My car has already been broken into twice, and guess what? It’s a really big thing in this neighborhood for people to walk down the street for vandalism.”

The woman eventually goes inside her home but once comes back outside to tell Peters that she called the police to report Peters. Black people can’t do anything without being harassed by nervous Beckys, not even our jobs. You can watch the entire incident below.

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Sounds About White: ‘Harriet’ Screenwriter Says Studio Exec Suggested Julia Roberts In Lead Role

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Premiere Of Focus Features' "Harriet" - Arrivals

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The film Harriet, starring Cynthia Erivo in the lead role of Harriet Tubman, would have had an incorrectly casted star if it were up to a studio executive. The screenwriter for the film says the exec suggested the very-white Julia Roberts should play the famed Underground Railroad conductor.

The film’s producer and screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard has previously told the tale before that back in 1994 when he first began developing the concept of Harriet, he ran into some roadblocks. Allen’s story was retold in an essay he wrote for the Los Angeles Times where he shared how the executives attempted to turn the project into a debacle.

Allen was the lone Black person in the room in a studio meeting with the person who tried to twist Tubman’s narrative, chiming up when the exec said, “That was so long ago. No one will know that” — this in response to Allen reminding the exec of Tubman’s race.

After pitching the film, originally titled Freedom Fire, to several studios, Allen nearly put the idea on the shelf for good but 2013’s 12 Years A Slave gave him the confidence to try again, given the success of that film and its many accolades made Hollywood studios warm up to the idea naturally.

Also, the overwhelming box office success of Marvel’s Black Panther kicked down any remaining doors and thus Harriet was able to get the green light it deserved.

Read Gregory Allen Howard’s tale of persistence and redemption here.

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Biking While Black: Black Bike-Riding Student Arrested By Oregon Cops After Refusing To Give ID

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Close-Up Of Siren On Police Car

Source: Federico Candoni / EyeEm / Getty

Genesis Hansen, a 21-year-old student at Oregon State University, was stopped by police for not riding in between the lanes. When she refused to hand over her identification, which she had full right to do, the police roughly arrested her and the video of the moment is now public.

As reported by the Corvallis Gazette-Times, Hansen as riding in Corvallis on October 13 when state police approached her for not riding within the lines. The officer questioned Hansen, who stood her legal ground in refusing to answer the trooper’s inquiry and handing over her identification.

When another trooper was called in, they begin to push her to the ground and arrest her roughly although it’s clear Hansen isn’t moving. After some time, she is placed in the back of the squad car as a crowd gathered at the scene demanding to know why the police were detaining her.

Hansen was arrested for interfering with an officer and resisting arrest, but Benton District Attorney John Haroldson has sided with Hansen in noting that she was correct in not having to hand over her identification and that she will not be charged. However, Haroldson stopped short of levying charges against the officers based on what evidence was presented.

A number of NAACP leaders in the Northwest are backing Hansen and demand an apology from the Oregon State Police and Corvallis Police Department along with asking OSU to support Hansen in this troubling time.

The video, which we warn could be disturbing to some, can be viewed below.

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Nutty Becky Who Spat “Kill All N*ggers” Rant In CVS Allegedly Fired From Fashion Gig

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Heather Lynn Patton

Source: screencap / Twitter

Heather Lynn Patton, a California woman who reportedly works as a costume designer, went viral this week after a video showing her spewing violent and racist threats against Black people inside an Eagle Rock CVS was released. Patton claims that she was under the influence and apologized for her rant and allegedly was fired from her gig.

According to several reports since the video went wide, Patton, 49, has worked behind the scenes as a wardrobe assistant and other roles. Adrene Ashford, who reportedly works in the fashion industry as well, captured Patton’s rant along with Renee Saldaña, who posted the clip to Twitter initially where it took off via a retweet from activist Shaun King and others.

Ashford posted a version of the clip onto her Instagram page and while it isn’t clear if Patton was directing her rant towards her, it should be noted that Ashford is Black.

On Patton’s scrubbed Instagram page, her bio section reads, “Please do not contact me. I was intoxicated and I sincerely apologize to everyone whom I disrespected and let down for my actions. Please forgive me.”

A report from local outlet KTLA shared that Patton has a history of such outbursts according to the account of a neighbor. The outlet adds that the LAPD is looking at potential hate crime connections.

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Conservative Coon Cricket Candace Owens Says White Nationalism Not An Issue For Black Folks

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Revolt And AT&T Host Revolt 3-Day Summit In Atlanta September 14

Source: Moses Robinson / Getty

Candace Owens is nothing if not consistent with her messaging, and stayed true to her ideals in a House Oversight Joint Subcommittee hearing last week. During the hearing, the conservative pundit said that among issues that affect Black Americans and minorities, white nationalism doesn’t factor among them.

The Hill writes:

During a House Oversight Joint Subcommittee hearing, Owens, who is black, said that white supremacy would not make her list of the top 100 issues facing her community and other communities of color in the U.S.

“Based on the hierarchy of what’s impacting minority Americans, if I had to make a list of 100 things, white nationalism would not make the list,” Owens said Friday.

“White supremacy and white nationalism is not a problem that is harming Black America,” she continued.

During the hearing, Owens also clashed with Dr. Kathleen Belew, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, who was called by Democrats on the panel to testify on growing trend of hate crimes and combating white supremacy.

“To me, this feels a lot like your reaction to being named in one of these manifestos,” Belew told Owens. “Now, you’re of course not responsible for the words of someone writing that document, but I do think laughing at it is a real problem.”

Owens and her comments trending last weeks, making it to the Twitter Moments feed after chatter exploded the moment her words went out.

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