A New Orleans coffee shop is becoming a racial battleground after a Black correspondent for HBCU Pulse was harassed by the manager for waiting too long to make a purchase.
On July 18, Destinee Kerr, who goes by “thatgirlnamedes_” on TikTok, grabbed a table at the popular Uptown café Rue De La Course. The Xavier University alum was finishing up a video and trying to post it by her deadline when the white café manager approached her, and according to Kerr, demanded that she make a purchase.
As a regular customer, she had just been at the café the day before and emphasized that she had every intention of buying something when she finished her work project. But the longtime manager, a woman named Danielle, still threatened to call the police on her. Kerr captured the interaction on video and appeared visibly shaken when talking to the manager, with her voice cracking at one point.
“I was continuously harassed, not even 10 minutes after I walked in, and eventually began recording. As you guys can see, it escalated… and ultimately, I was threatened and called the police on.”
In the caption, she added that she was “told to leave despite empty tables. As a Black woman and paying customer, take your business where you’re respected.” Luckily, the police never showed up, she said.
Since posting her experience in a series of TikTok videos, a debate has been raging in the comments.
“You can’t just loiter somewhere because you feel like it,” wrote one detractor, echoing droves of commenters who were skeptical of her story and sided with the cafe.
But supporters of Kerr came out in full force, with many determined to boycott the café and leave critical reviews online. Several white customers chimed in to say they’ve had “no issue” sitting there for hours without making a purchase. In a later video, she revealed that the manager had referenced the 1930s in an Instagram statement. “Now, this business did not open until the 1990s. Yet, what happened in the 1930s? Yeah, Jim Crow, segregation, and more. You help me do the math,” she said.
“So why don’t y’all just put a whites-only sign out in the front?” read one comment, which received a “like” from the café, according to Destinee’ K.
The exasperated customer even called on Black community leaders for guidance in one of her videos, asking for their advice on how to handle this type of situation. “Turn a blind eye? Ultimately, make a social media post?” she wondered, adding that something more needs to be done.
For now, at least, the social media posts seem to be working, as supporters rally around her. “Girl I 100% back you up! You were not wrong and were never wrong! Their racism will be the end of their business,” wrote one. The viral videos prompted a statement from the café, which many felt “double-downed” on the discrimination.
In read, in part, “Our staff is trained to ensure that all people who are utilizing the space have purchased something. Although we welcome all customers, we do have strict policies regarding those who don’t.”
Of course, Kerr, along with many others, wondered why they would weaponize police against a regular customer if they were highly trained. She also noted that the policy wasn’t posted anywhere in the café or online. The café has recently turned off its Instagram comments.
“Girl, even if it says that, it’s bad business to harass you that way. Politely letting you know was enough. She was a problem to begin with,” wrote one about the manager’s actions.
“A restaurant turning off their Instagram comments is insane, and this ‘statement’ is them doubling down on their ‘right’ to discriminate.”
Great Job Grace Jidoun & the Team @ Atlanta Black Star Source link for sharing this story.
