Austin Trail of Lights seasonal employee fired after racist remarks

AUSTIN, Texas – A seasonal contractor employee with Austin’s Trail of Lights has been fired after a video showed them making what some are calling racist remarks.

Austin Trail of Lights incident

What we know:

The incident took place on Friday, Dec. 12, along the event’s trail. 

A woman buying a hot dog from a vendor begins recording when a male employee in a golf cart begins yelling over a speaker. The man can be heard shouting at the vendors about their sanitary practices, saying, “You got no bathrooms, nowhere to wash your hands. It’s gross.”

The man can then be heard asking bystanders if they would like an “illegal cartel hotdog.” Seconds later, the employee drives his golf cart into one of the food vendor’s carts. He continues to tell the vendors to leave, even briefly talking to them in Spanish. As the woman behind the camera continues to record, the employee can be seen pulling up in front of her saying, “You don’t want to eat that, I promise. You don’t know how many days ago they cooked that.”

A separate man can then be heard saying, “It’s a Mexican thing you wouldn’t understand.” The employee responds by saying, “I’m Texican bro,” before driving off.

What they’re saying:

The video drew condemnation from officials like Austin City Councilman Zo Qadri. He released a statement on the incident.

“The Trail of Lights is meant to be a joyful, welcoming experience for everyone and should never be a place for hate, racism, or unsafe behavior. The conduct shown in this video is deeply concerning and does not reflect Austin’s values. Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected in our public spaces, and we expect appropriate review and accountability.”

Other Austinites were quick to react.

“That’s no way to treat someone else who lives in this city. That’s just unkind and that’s not what Christmas is about,” said Jac Carson, when showed the video.

“It feels like Bronx, Philly, New York style of doing things, but that’s not Texas. That’s all I can say,” said Jordan Shelton.

Austin Trail of Lights responds

On Monday evening, Austin Trail of Lights confirmed they fired the seasonal contractor employee seen in the video. They released the statement below:

“On the evening of Friday, December 12, the Trail of Lights Foundation was alerted of an incident that occurred at the Trail the previous evening.  The incident was immediately reviewed, and within hours, it was concluded that the individual involved was a seasonal employee of one of our contractors.  The person was swiftly relieved of all duties and is no longer affiliated with the Trail of Lights in any capacity. We have reiterated expectations to our contractors while reinforcing established de-escalation protocols moving forward. 

The behavior in question was not representative of the values of our organization or our city, and is not tolerated. We have taken immediate and lasting action to ensure it doesn’t happen again. The Trail of Lights is a cherished Austin tradition that welcomes the entire community, and we expect those entrusted with its legacy to perform their duties in line with the values of our city.”