Black Lives Matter protestors were seen hurling homophobic slurs at a Guardian Angel member at a demonstration in New York City at an eatery where a trio of tourists claim a server called them the n-word in an argument over vaccination cards.
Video of the encounter shows the protesters outside Carmines in the Upper West Side Monday night confronting the Guardian Angel, who was identified as Joshua Penner.
One demonstrator wearing a black ski mask is seen repeatedly shouting at him to ‘s*** d***.’
‘You don’t like gay people is that what it is?’ Penner says.
‘I love gay people,’ the protester replies. ‘My brother’s gay, s*** d*** b***.’
Black Lives Matter protesters were seen hurling anti-gay slurs at a Guardian Angel in Manhattan’s Upper West Side Monday
After a brief but tense exchange between the Angel, who was identified as Joshua Penner and the demonstrators, who had been protesting outside the restaurant Carmines, the group moves on
Soon the protesters, one equipped with a loudspeaker, ask Penner to leave.
He refuses.
‘I’m not going to leave, I live here,’ he says.
Eventually the group moves on.
The demonstration was prompted after three black women visiting from Houston – Kaeita Rankin, Tyonnie Keshay Rankin and Sally Rechelle Lewis – claimed a server at Upper West Side restaurant Carmines called them the n-word in a dispute over vaccine proof, prompting a physical altercation.
The local Black Lives Matter chapter subsequently organized a ‘cancel Carmines’ protest Monday outside the restaurant.
Carmines, meanwhile, says that the women attacked the server after she told friends of the tourists they had to leave when they couldn’t provide evidence of their vaccinations – in line with New York City law.
The three women were arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief.
Penner is a longtime member of the Guardian Angels, and a patrol lead for the group in the Upper West Side, according to NYC Republican mayoral candidate and Guardian Angels leader Curtis Sliwa.
In a separate encounter at the protest, a woman was seen confronting demonstrators for blocking traffic
The demonstrators were part of a Black Lives Matter protest organized outside Carmines, where three black tourists alleged a server called them the n-word last week before getting into a physical altercation
‘He withstood a lot of verbal abuse and physical threatening,’ Sliwa told WABC of the encounter.
‘He stood there and didn’t get sucked into the cursing, finger-pointing, and harassment. All they do is sell wolf-tickets in order to fall into their trap.’
In another video of the protest, a women was seen confronting the demonstrators for blocking traffic.
‘They were there to cause trouble — that’s all they ever do is cause trouble,’ Sliwa told WABC, adding that Guardian Angels go through training to deal with such encounters.
After calls from BLM protesters Monday, Carmines released surveillance footage of the altercation Tuesday taken from both inside the entrance to the restaurant and the outdoor area where the brawl broke out last week.
It shows the three Texas women entering the restaurant as part of a larger party.
Carmine’s, meanwhile, released surveillance footage of what it claims was an ‘unprovoked attack’ on an Asian hostess by the women
Surveillance footage also shows the outdoor area where the brawl broke out last week at the famed New York City eatery
The women are escorted inside the restaurant after showing their proof of COVID-19 vaccination while three men in their party – who do not have proof and show up shortly after – remain outside.
The unnamed 24-year-old hostess passes the group, with the women at the back of the group suddenly stopping and turning in her direction.
At that point, the women rush outside.
Surveillance footage taken by a different camera outside the restaurant then reveals one of the women coming up close behind the server – who is standing with her back to the door – and appearing to say something into her ear.
The server looks around as the other women also confront her, while her coworker appears to try to guide her away from the diners.
At this point, the women push the server and a fight breaks out with other diners and restaurant workers getting involved to try to break up the fight.
Jeffrey Bank, the owner of the restaurant, released a statement saying that the surveillance footage shows the assailants started the brawl without justification and were ‘entirely unprovoked.’
The restaurant denies the server used the n-word with a spokesperson for its PR firm Trident DMG describing the incident as ‘an entirely unprovoked, brutal attack on our hosts’.
The restaurant had initially claimed the women did not show proof of vaccination, leading to the feud, but corrected that assertion Monday and said the three did present their cards.
Instead, the alleged attack broke out when three men who were part of their group arrived several minutes later and two of them could not produce proof of vaccination, Trident DMG PR Emma Novak told Gothamist.
The identity of the server is not being released by the restaurant for her safety but she is said to be new.
There were no protesters Tuesday lunchtime at the restaurant which was busy with diners.
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