Waffle House locks doors to keep out Black woman, and white man threatens to shoot her..

[HipChick]

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PINSON, Ala. — A black woman says she was locked out of a Waffle House restaurant in Alabama while white customers ate inside.

Video posted by Jacinda Mitchell shows her pulling on the locked door of a restaurant in the Birmingham suburb of Pinson while others dined.At one point, a white man inside the restaurant comes to the window and points, saying something unintelligible within inches of Mitchell.

It’s unclear when the incident occurred, but Mitchell said on Facebook that it was before the fatal shooting at a Waffle House in Tennessee and the arrest of a black woman at a Waffle House on the Alabama coast.A statement from the Georgia-based restaurant company says an employee was wrong to lock the door. The statement doesn’t address why the worker locked it, but spokesman Pat Warner said a company review would determine whether race was a factor.

Mitchell did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Mitchell’s video was posted days after the arrest of a black woman, Chikesia Clemons, during a disruption at a Waffle House in Saraland, Alabama, prompted allegations of mistreatment by restaurant workers and officers.The Alabama NAACP and an attorney for Clemons have questioned whether racial bias played a role in the arrest.
https://nypost.com/2018/04/27/video-shows-black-woman-locked-out-of-waffle-house/

[dalton99a]

1. Company says an employee was wrong to lock the door - so it probably happened before closing time

[HipChick]

2. So that makes it ok?

[dalton99a]

3. Of course not

Edit: Actually it's supposed to be open 24 hours

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

6. Waffle House never closes

“All locations are open 24 hours, 365 days a year,” right on their FAQ.

https://www.wafflehouse.com/faq/

[HipChick]

13. That's what makes this troubling...

[MineralMan]

4. Alabama. I never go there.

[MineralMan]

5. Here are the demographics for Pinson, AL

The racial makeup of the community was 89.85% White, 8.33% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 2.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Overwhelmingly White town, it looks like. Bigoted, too, by the looks of things.

[MineralMan]

7. That Waffle House, like most Waffle Houses is open 24 hours a day.

https://locations.wafflehouse.com/al-pinson-1843

[GWC58]

8. In my opinion Waffle House

sucks, BIG TIME. 20 years ago, while in Charleston, SC my, then, g/f and I went to a Waffle House. We stood there for 10 minutes waiting to be seated. Not many customers were there. It was then we said “fuck this place, it blows” and left. Haven’t been to one since. By the way we’re both white.

[A HERETIC I AM]

26. So.....your opinion is based on something twenty years old?

Waffle House is what it is, but for the most part, it does exactly what it says it's going to do. I've been eating at them for years and years and even though I have had an occasional experience that was less than pleasant, for the most part they serve decent, freshly cooked food pretty fast. If you are looking for the worlds best food, it isn't at a Waffle House.

There is no excuse I can think of for their doors being locked, but it is unfair to say "Waffle House sucks, BIG TIME" because of something that happened to you two bloody decades ago.

I'm doubting this will go down well for the manager at that store. Waffle House is keenly aware of how these things are perceived.


And FWIW, all you had to do was say 'HI' and sit down. I find it VERY hard to believe any staff would have said a word to you about it. It isn't a 4-star restaurant with a reservations person at the front.

[ret5hd]

34. Uhhh...no Waffle House I've ever seen (and i've seen a lot)...

ever had somebody "seat" you...you walk in and pick your seat. Of course, that's assuming they weren't full, which they weren't because you said "Not many customers were there".

They were probably wondering "Why are those people standing there??? Are they going to rob us?"

If you were expecting a jacketed maître d', linen tablecloths, fresh flowers, and soothing violin music at Waffle House, yeaaaahhhh...you were probably at the wrong place.

[Oneironaut]

9. Needs more information...

How did they “lock her out?” It’s not like they would have known she was coming.

What happened before she started filming? That’s the most important part.

The video ends abruptly, so we get even less context on the internet.

I can’t form an opinion yet.

[Kirk Lover]

11. It looks like the employees are purposely trying to not look at her. WTF here. nt

[MineralMan]

12. That restaurant is open 24 hours a day.

They probably saw her drive up and someone went and locked the door. Does that really seem far-fetched to you? Have you ever been to rural Alabama? If you had, it wouldn't seem far-fetched at all.

Bottom line: They didn't want a black woman in the place, so they locked her out. Go figure.

[HipChick]

15. a black work colleague was refused service

at a restaurant...all her white colleagues got up and left after that..

[MineralMan]

18. Excellent move by her colleagues.

I detest racism in all its forms.

[HipChick]

14. Here we go..

[MineralMan]

19. Yes. Every time. Someone.

[sellitman]

10. I've only eaten in one once.

The greasy mess they served me was all I needed to know.

Looks like I made a good decision.

[still_one]

16. "This door to remain unlocked during business hours." Not only does this need to be investigated

but whoever locked that door needs to be fired

[dixiegrrrrl]

35. Hope someone will pursue the fire code violation as well.

Waiting to hear how this is handled.

[still_one]

41. Good point

[Runningdawg]

17. I will give this lady the benefit of the doubt

however, I think there is more to this story.
I'm not saying something similar happened in this case but I was once the manager of a fabric store when a customer became angry there was not enough fabric left on a bolt for her project. She stated she was going to her car to get her gun and come back to "kill us all". Damned right I locked the door! And I asked all our customers to move to the back of the store. She continue to pace back and forth in front of the doors yelling threats and obscenities until she was arrested, no weapons were found.

[MineralMan]

20. Keep trying to find an excuse for racial bigotry.

That's what this was. And the white man who came to the door and said, "I'll shoot you?" What about him? What's his excuse.

[ProudLib72]

24. She had leprosy?

[MineralMan]

29. Yeah, that was probably it.

[Runningdawg]

37. Well thanks to all of you who ASSUME I am white....

[MineralMan]

40. We can't see you, you know.

[JustAnotherGen]

21. Don't put that shit on her

Your customer has Zero, Zip, Zilch to do with this situation.

[Demsrule86]

23. Have you ever been to Alabama? Doubt it.

[Runningdawg]

38. Only once with my parents

as a teenager. We were asked to leave the town we had stopped in to fill up and use the restroom.

[Demsrule86]

47. There you go...I left Georgia eleven years ago and I went to Alabama ...it was still a racist

cesspool of a country...from what my brother tells me, it still is. He was planning to retire there but has changed his mind.

[Iggo]

33. Wow.

[egbertowillies]

36. It is so kind of you to give her the benefit of the doubt. Why is there always more

to the story when this is what people of color deal with frequently. If we stop trying to find justifications for prejudice and call it out, we would be much better off. It is killing many.

[MaryMagdaline]

39. If they had an excuse we would have heard it by now

[Ilsa]

22. I wish groups would show up, only order coffee, sit awhile,

crowd out food ordering customers, just to bang up a day's profits.

[GeorgeHayduke]

25. This idea is awesome.

Organize a social justice flashmob-boycot mashup. I dont drink coffee, but just to do this I'd get a catheter and strap the bag to my leg and sit there all f'n day.

[Eyeball_Kid]

28. Sheesh. I get the sentiment, but the catheter idea goes a mile too far.

[GeorgeHayduke]

32. I know.

A little Saturday morning hyperbole. I dont think I'd really go so far as walking into the ER to request a foley. Yikes.

😉

[Ilsa]

42. Probably can't stay all day without getting

arrested, but a bunch of customers showing up to take seats, order very little, etc might show management.

But I guess waitstaff should be tipped well, as if you had a meal.

[GeorgeHayduke]

46. I was just chatting about this idea

With a friend. She thought that if you could stage enough people to work it in staggered 30-minute shifts and only get coffee or maybe a side you could do some damage.

Many franchisees depend on weekend patrons. Eliminate the Sunday brunch crowd three Sunday mornings in a row they might really be hurtin'.

[Eyeball_Kid]

27. Whats also not clear is why the corporate management hasn't summarily fired...

the entire restaurant staff for their racism, and why the management didn't kick out the white waffle eater who threatened a customer with violence. Ah, but this is the Age of Trumpy, when the "good old days" are suggestive of slaves on the auction block. As a US citizen, I am ashamed. And I am outraged that this wave of evil has swept over my country.

Many decades ago, I visited some of the southern states and loved aspects of southern culture. I found the people to be warm and open. But in today's climate of a regressive racial/tribal culture that divides those based upon skin color, I'll not re-visit. Ever. And I'm guessing that I'm not the only person in the nation who has similar sentiments. A racially divided South has no place in my life.

[Aristus]

30. My mother was born in Alabama. And my father in Oklahoma.

Two places that are, shall we shall, less than salubrious when it comes to race relations.

Neither one of them could get out of their respective hell-holes fast enough.

My mother attended teacher's college in Texas and now lives here in the Pacific Northwest. And my Dad joined the Air Force after turning 18, and never looked back.

I'm trying to think of a compelling reason why I should ever visit the Deep South again. We have plenty of restaurants up here that serve excellent Southern-style foods, but without the bigotry.

[MineralMan]

31. All Waffle Houses are open 24 hours a day.

That said, I strongly advise not visiting one after bar closing time. The clientele at that early hour in the morning is not what you would call the friendliest or best-behaved crowd. That advice applies to just about any 24-hour restaurant or diner. I'm just saying....

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

43. I've had a few jobs on midnight shift.

Two strange things: going out for lunch, and going out for a beer after work. Interesting clientele.

Where we were, a Waffle House would be a step up.

[NCTraveler]

44. Journalistic fail.

More must be done before reporting this.

[lovemydogs]

45. One black person commits a crime and suddenly all black people are suspect....

One latino commits a crime and suddenly anyone with spanish heritage is suspect...
One muslim commits a crime and suddenly all muslims are suspect...
One white man commits a crime and it's no probelm