Coffee shop owner warns that 'racism is alive and well' after 'white supremacist' disrupts her business
A coffee shop owner in Auburn, Al. is sharing details of a traumatic experience that took place at her business on Tuesday, when a “white supremacist” walked into Mama Mocha’s Coffee Emporium and became aggressive with customers.
Sarah Barnett Gill took to her Facebook page to tell friends and followers about the ordeal that happened that evening when a man with a gun stood up on a chair in the coffee shop and began to “yell nazi rhetoric.” Gill even claims that the man “repeatedly gave heil hitler [sic] salutes,” in her effort to tell people that “racism is alive and well.”
For the coffee shop owner, who prides herself on hiring and opening her doors to people of “ALL races, genders, sexualities, nationalities, religion,” Gill makes it clear that the only thing she isn’t tolerant of is intolerance.
“We will continue to support minorities and stand for them,” Gill wrote. “We will not tolerate hate speech or action.”
Gill assured that nobody was hurt during the incident and even praised her staff for dealing with the situation so quickly and safely. Still, she wrote that it will take some time for them to feel safe at work again.
The Auburn Police Department didn’t immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. However, AL reports that police responded to a disorderly conduct call from the coffee shop around 7:00 p.m., while Gill wrote that the man was ultimately let go.
“His gun was registered, police said that he was within his right to free speech and did nothing wrong,” Gill concluded, “he was told he is banned from the store but was set free.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Woman tells Spanish-speaking Mexican restaurant employees: ‘Get the f*** out of my country’
• Boy, 11, arrested after refusing to recite ‘racist’ Pledge of Allegiance
• Grocery store shopper investigated for allegedly assaulting mother, threatening her with deportation: ‘Go back to Africa’
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
