Coming across the DailyKOS diary titled Restaurant Asks 25 Black People to Leave Because 1 White Person Feels “Threatened” was depressing. Is this 1953 or 2013? Is this a joke or one of those headlines trying to get one’s attention? That was not the case.
Turns out according to the story reported on Live HD 5 News (WCSC), Michael Brown, a frequent patron of Wild Wings Café visited the establishment with 24 family members to bid farewell to a cousin leaving Charleston. The party of 25 waited 2 hours to be seated. Upon being seated, they were told by the shift manager that there was a problem. What was the problem? One white patron felt threatened by the presence of the party of twenty five blacks.
The shift manager asked the party to move. While doing so one of the 25 patrons decided to videotape the wronging that was in progress. That upset the shift manager who asked them to leave the establishment. When asked for clarification, the shift manager told them she had the right to deny them service.
Michael Brown said many calls were made to Wild Wings Café’s corporate office in Mt. Pleasant but received no callback until he posted the following message on Facebook on Thursday.
I will never go to Wild wings cafe in N. Chs again! We (Party of 25 family and friends) waited 2hrs, patiently and were refused service because another customer (White) felt threatened by us. This type of racial discrimination is unacceptable and we have to put a STOP TO IT. The manager looked me dead in the face and said she was refusing us service because she had a right to and simply she felt like it. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS ESTABLISHMENT… PLEASE SHARE THIS POST… We need your help.
A Wild Wings Café representative contacted Brown and said they had a really good conversation. Brown said he received an apology and the offer of a free meal for the entire group. He was not however satisfied. He said they did not go to the establishment for a free meal. They went there to patronize the business. He said the problem was much deeper than that.
It is indeed. There are many lessons here.
First, Wild Wings Café shows the extent to which white privilege remains. Is there a question when one patron’s white hue supersedes the economics of 25 black patrons? For every two steps forward that are made against racism, there seem to be a step backward. This one reported incident is likely statistically representative of many that go unreported.
Second, the corporatocracy does not respond to the individual. They do monitor their perceived persona on social media and in the media in general because that affects their bottom line. One person cannot fight the corporation but people banding together can and must. As such it is imperative that Americans find groups to supplement social media where they can make their voices amplified (Move To Amend, Coffee Party USA).
Lastly, everyone must continue to fight vigorously to ensure the Internet remains wide open. It is the last bastion of democracy. As incidents like this are duplicated they must be disinfected with sunlight and transparency. Many companies will continue lobbying Congress against Net Neutrality to lock down the Internet as they have been trying with PIPA , SOPA, and other devious policies. They know that collective knowledge and actions will prevent their continued pilfer of and bad deeds on the American citizens.
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i would like to think that in Canada..that if any white person, such as myself was to make such a statement to thier server, that they felt threatened only because it was a large group of non whites….that they would be laughed at for even voicing such a ridiculous statement/concern…i just cant imagine any establishment bowing to the stupidity of one person, over the needs of a large group…let alone such a idiotic one as this…
Should be that way anyplace they go.. Wild Wings should have told the one white person that they were free to leave and then Wild Wings needs to fire the employee for even going and saying anything at all to the 25 Black Family Members… wow.. And I liked Wild Wing.. Well, I guess if this was in Charleston I won’t worry about going there ever.. wow..
This would have been the simple solution…tell “the one white person that they were free to leave.” Too bad some people are so lacking in “Common Sense.” I can’t even imagine that 25 people would be asked to leave just because one person is uncomfortable (actually, cruel and prejudiced).
THIS is post-racial AmeriKa? My dear Canadian citizen, you cannot even imagine the ignorant fantasies of those who live “white privilege” just across your border . Sadly, the illness-madness continues into the next generations, because nothing is done in the education AND entertainment institutions to combat the idiocy.
This is only one side of the conversation. Did anyone witness this? I do not believe that ONE WHITE person made this comment and how ridiculous for the restaurant to even act on it. Sounds exaggerated!
You mean you don’t want to believe it……Well that’s your privilege…..
And I’m sure this is exactly what you would say if a group of white people were ejected from an establishment because of one black person, right?
Here’s the other side of the story:
http://www.radiofacts.com/woman-wild-wings-contacts-radio-facts-states-black-patrons-asked-leave-several-reasons/
Watch the video, lalarose! The restaurant wouldn’t have responded ot TV otherwise!
Two things, 1) When was the last time you took a party of 25 to a restaurant and did not make arrangements beforehand??? 2) I never was able to find an interview with the complainant.
Here is the 3rd thing:
The more energy we put into this, the more we accept the concept of “race.” Modern biological anthropology does not accept the concept, since there is no significant genotypic difference among H. sapian. Skin color is a phenotypic expression of genes and is not an indicator of a sub-species (what used to be taxonomically termed as “race”). It’s like the difference between a chihuahua and a wolf. They are both Canus lupus, no subspecies indicator, no inability to interbreed. The more we allow “black” vs. “white” vs. “asian” vs. “hispanic” tensions to influence the American culture, the weaker we will be, and the more power we give the concept over our culture.
Who was the white patron scared by a crowd of black folk in Charleston?! Was it Paula Deen?
Twenty-five people in the party and not one person has phone video of the encounter. Something smells funny and it ain’t the wings.
Why is the white girl in the photo standing in the back and mostly obscured? Maybe Gwendoline Y. Fortune will say she gave up her “white privilege”, but then she would have to admit that some white people are not racist and not uniformly privileged or even such a term is as bigoted as any other hate speech that offends her. Mistakes were made by individuals and not groups. Trying to be separate and equal at the same time has not worked nor will it! Stop thinking in those terms or risk being the cause to change.
Mr. Brown, I am truly sorry that you [and your party] were not treated the way you expected and deserve. FYI next time you need a table for 25 people, you really should call ahead.
Look into this further and you will find there is more to the incident. It was the behavior of members of the family that caused other patrons to be concerned. The family was reportedly being obnoxious , rude, and using the N-word prolifically. It was BEHAVIOR, not skin color that caused the troubles for the family. And, as someone pointed out, sensible persons do not show up with a group of 25 at ANY restaurant without special arrangment made in advance. You rent a private room like reasonable families do. You do not show up demanding special treatment ( seating for 25 and all seated together ) and then cry foul when you do not quickly receive special treatment.
What kind of moron waits two hours to eat junk food?