Photo: Moment RF
A group of Black women say they were kicked out of a restaurant amid an altercation that didn't involve them due to a manager's discrimination, per WAVY.
The fistfight unfolded on November 6 at Cork and Bull Chophouse in Chesapeake. Video circulating online shows two women brawling inside the restaurant. However, neither of the women were a part of the group of nine who were dining in a separate area for a Friendsgiving celebration.
“We only had time to order our drinks and a fight broke out between two African-American women that had nothing to do with us,” Shakoya Holt said.
The nine Black women said restaurant staff assumed they were connected to the altercation and ordered them to leave. When Holt asked why, a manager allegedly told them: “Because you all like to fight.”
“They made us leave and get up in front of all the other patrons in the restaurant,” she said. “It was a night of hurt, embarrassment, and pure humiliation.”
“We were all put in a negative spotlight in that moment,” Ashley Pickens added. “It was all eyes on us — very embarrassing.”
The women have retained attorney Joyvan Malbon-Griffin to pursue legal action against the restaurant. are now pursuing legal action.
“Just because you have employees that might’ve made a bad judgment one night, that can turn into two nights, three nights, four nights — it has to stop," Malbon-Griffin said. “All nine of these women were treated more harshly than the two people who were actually engaged in the misdemeanor action.”
Malbon-Griffin added that the group is seeking accountability and justice.
“We can say this is discrimination, we can say this violates the equal protection clause. They have said enough is enough, and we are not going to take it.”
The NAACP Virginia State Conference and the NAACP Chesapeake Branch also issued statements in support of the women.
“This incident is a painful reminder that racism remains embedded in our daily lives,” Rev. Cozy Bailey said in a statement. “We must hold establishments accountable when they perpetuate racial stereotypes.”
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