Woman's racist rant at US store: 'You got an Indian waiting on

Image
Press Trust of India New York
Last Updated : Jun 08 2017 | 5:57 PM IST
A woman at a US department store allegedly made a racist rant against an Indian employee and a Latino family while in a queue, saying "you got an Indian waiting on an Indian".
The incident took place at the Sears store in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and a city man videotaped the woman making bigoted comments.
Simoni Lovano, 27, said he recorded the video Sunday at the department store.
In the video, a woman can be heard making bigoted comments against an Indian employee and a Latino family, who she assumes are of Indian descent, Lovano was quoted as saying by NJ.Com.
"Send them back to their own (country) country," the unidentified woman can be heard saying in the video.
The woman was upset because the family was using coupons, which made the wait in the checkout line longer, Lovano said.
He said the woman was right to be frustrated with the lack of open cash registers, considering it took about 20 minutes to process the family's coupons.
Lovano said he started recording, however, when the woman began to blame the customers. She thought the family was receiving preferential treatment because she assumed they were Indian, he said.
In the minute-and-a-half video, the woman can be heard saying, "You got an Indian waiting on an Indian, that's what it is."
"They're not Indian," someone said to her.
"I don't know what the hell they are..." the woman says.
"That has nothing to do with anything," another person said, according to the video of the incident.
Lovano, whose family moved to the US from Sicily when he was a few years old, said Sears employees should have kicked the woman out of the store.
Lovano, who works at a biotechnology company in North Brunswick, said he hopes the video becomes viral so he can monetise it to raise money for social justice organisations that advocate for immigrants.
Lovano said he felt guilty for not standing up for the family at the time. He said he is glad he captured the incident on video, however, because "this is something that is happening right here in New Brunswick, New Jersey, a very diverse area.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jun 08 2017 | 5:57 PM IST

Next Story