Harlem restaurant under fire for racial profiling Black women
A Harlem restaurant has sparked outrage in the neighborhood for racially profiling three women.
The women claim they were harassed and falsely accused of trying to walk out on their tab at Angel of Harlem restaurant. The employee responsible for making the claim, has been suspended.
A restaurant manager approached Tara Fitzgibbon and her two friends on February 10 after they walked over to the bar to grab drinks in the crowded restaurant. According to Fitzgibbon, a manager demanded to know how they planned on settling their tab and accused them of ditching their bill during a previous visit to the restaurant.
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“You were here last week, and ran up a tab and left,” the manager charged, according to Fitzgibbon. Fitzgibbon denied the manager’s assertions and explained it was her first time visiting the establishment, said the Bronx native who currently lives in New Rochelle.
The manager snatched the menu from her hands, yelled, banged on the bar and accused her of lying, Fitzgibbons said.
A similar incident at Applebee’s goes viral
Just last week an Applebee’s chain in Independence, MO came under fire for a similar racial profiling incident involving two Black women.
Three Applebee’s employees in Independence, MO have been fired following the release of footage that showed several staffers racially profiling Black customers. The short video clip has been viewed more than 2 million times online and has over 25,000 comments.
Alexis Brison posted a clip of the incident on Facebook along with a lengthy caption. It read it part:
“About an hour into our dinner we were approached by a [sic] Independence police officer, a mall cop, and the restaurant manager,” wrote Brison on Facebook. “We were told that we were accused of eating and not paying for CHICKEN the day before (dining and dashing). Mind you that we have proof that can show our whereabouts and it’s not even in our character to steal.”
According to Brison, she and her dining companion were asked to pay for their food, leave, and not come back after being mocked and humiliated. Eventually a police officer escorted the two women out of the restaurant. The ladies can be heard yelling and crying off camera.
“Just because we are Black does not mean we are all criminals and I will not be treated as such,” stated Brison in her Facebook post.
Following the intense public response and calls for a boycott, Applebee’s issued a statement noting that the three employees involved in the incident have been fired.
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Alexis Brison posted a clip of the racial profiling incident on Facebook along with a lengthy caption. It read it part:
“About an hour into our dinner we were approached by a [sic] Independence police officer, a mall cop, and the restaurant manager,” wrote Brison on Facebook. “We were told that we were accused of eating and not paying for CHICKEN the day before (dining and dashing). Mind you that we have proof that can show our whereabouts and it’s not even in our character to steal.”
Following the intense public response over racial profiling and calls for a boycott, Applebee’s issued a statement noting that the three employees involved in the incident have been fired.
“We recognize the hurt and pain caused by the recent incident at an Applebee’s restaurant in Independence, Mo. We very much regret this occurred and sincerely apologize to our guests and community. After an internal investigation and in-line with our values, the franchisee terminated the manager, server and another employee involved in the incident. We do not tolerate racism, bigotry or harassment of any nature, and we have taken additional steps to close the restaurant at this time in order for the team there to regroup, reflect, learn and grow from this. We are reaching out to the guests involved to apologize directly. We know rebuilding trust with those affected by the incident will take time, and we look forward to finding resolution in the coming days.”
Harlem restaurant responds
“We were beyond embarrassed,” Fitzgibbon, 45, told the Daily News about her treatment at Angel of Harlem.“They made us feel as if we were criminals.”
The manager showed the women surveillance video of African-American women who she said looked nothing like her. The manager insisted that she was lying.
Fitzgibbon’s friend, Tamara Young, then said, “What, do all black people look alike to you?”
Adding insult to an already injured ego, the manager pushed Fitzgibbons and her friends out the door, she said.
The owner of the restaurant, Anahi Angelone reportedly said that a female bartender was suspended for a few days after being accused of racial profiling.
“It’s very sad that it went down the way it went down, but there are two sides to every story,” Angelone said.
After the embarrassing racial profiling incident in Harlem, the women filed a report with local police and are considering taking legal action.
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