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Enraged White Man Threatens To Call ICE On Women For Speaking Spanish In Manhattan Fresh Kitchen
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 16, 2018
Modified May 17, 2018
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By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 16, 2018
Modified May 17, 2018
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An angry white man insulted and threatened two women for speaking Spanish at a midtown lunch chain on Wednesday, threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on them because he didn't want to hear the language in "my country."
"Every person I listen to—he's speaking it, she's speaking it. This is America," the man shouted, while customers waited for salads at a Fresh Kitchen on Madison Avenue, near 39th Street.
[SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE]
As he was confronted by a manager, the man continued, "Your clients and your staff are speaking Spanish to staff when they should be speaking English...My guess is they're undocumented, so my next call is to ICE to have each one of them taken out of my country. If they have the balls to come here and live off my money—I pay for their welfare. I pay for their ability to be here."
According to one witness who spoke with Gothamist, the man "seemed like a normal, pretty well off caucasian guy." He has not yet been identified, but some Twitter users claim he's been spotted at pro-Trump rallies in the past.
The video was posted to Facebook by Edward Suazo, who wrote that his wife and her best friend were talking to the cashier when the man accosted them.
"What a big man talking down to couple of women and a helpless employee," Suazo wrote. "I wish someone tells me I can’t speak in my native language ! First of all they wasn’t talking to you !! Asshole !"
Throughout the scene, several people in the background can be seen quietly observing the racist tirade. One woman, who is not visible in the video, calls the man an "ignorant asshole." Later, the man tells that woman that she should take a break from eating, to which she responds: "Maybe you should get hit by a car."
Our witness says that the man was promptly thrown out of the restaurant, while the woman was permitted to stay. "[They] let the lady stay but had the man go, because he was causing the trouble, screaming at people," the witness told Gothamist.
"I don't know what to say," the witness added. "People are taught not to be bystanders, but it's hard to get involved. This guy was really, really angry."
UPDATE: The Forward and other media outlets believe they have identified the man in the video. We have been unable to confirm his identity, but we'll update when we have more.
UPDATE MAY 17: The man in the video is widely believed to be a Manhattan attorney, and elected officials are calling for him to be censured. There's also a fundraiser to send a mariachi band to his office. More here.
Tagged
fresh kitchen
midtown
racist. @wnyc
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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