A Black man was trying to drop off a Postmates delivery when he was accosted by a white woman who refused to let him in the Los Angeles apartment building.
Jordan Mykel Gipson filmed a tense encounter he had with an unidentified white woman and posted the footage on his Instagram page on Tuesday. In the video, the woman blocks the entrance of a residential building as Gipson uses a callbox to contact the customer.
“I’m glad I was here,” the woman said as she stood in front of the door.
“So, you’re not going to let me in to deliver this food, I have the number,” he responded.
Gipson, who was holding a bag of food, repeatedly told the woman why he was there but she refused to move out his way.
“We don’t want your delivery,” the woman told Gipson. “I don’t want you. I don’t want you here. I don’t want you here at all.”
Gipson managed to buzz the customer, identified as Paul, and explained why he was unable to enter the building. While they were talking, the woman repeatedly interrupted the conversation. When the woman asked Paul to identify himself, he obliged and even provided his apartment number. He confirmed the delivery was valid but the woman refused to allow Gipson and offered to deliver the food personally.
“Who are you?! Who is this?” Paul responded.
“I live here, a–hole,” she told him. “And I pay rent here.”
“So? I do, too,” Paul replied. “What are you asking?!”
“I’m asking you to get out of my building because you don’t live here.”
“I’m a Black man and I’m trying to deliver —” Gipson interjected before the woman interrupted him again to say she didn’t care if he is “a purple man.” She also accused Gipson of lying about being a “delivery boy.”
“He’s a Black guy walking around with a clicker to get into any building he wants to,” the woman claimed.
Paul eventually came down and retrieved the food. After the handoff, Gipson walked away. The video has been viewed almost 80,000 times and received a slew of comments.
“Wow you really kept your cool, I would’ve gone off on her. She is ridiculous. She had no reason not to believe you were a delivery man, she’s not just a Karen she is mentally unstable,” wrote a commenter.
“I’m so tired of apologizing for my race and gender – but for the millionth time and the millionth situation – I am so f—–g sorry,” wrote another viewer.
“FFS this has to stop…these Karen’s need huge fines and community service along with time in jail for hate crimes! Makes me sick how people are acting,” suggested another commenter. “This is just [awful]! Soon she’ll be crying her life is ruined and she’s lost her job…well Karen wtf…ya get what ya dish.”
A GoFundMe campaign was started by Monica Prado, a woman claiming to be Gipson’s girlfriend. Prado shared that Gipson had recently moved into a new apartment and worked multiple jobs to support himself. The fund has received over $4,600 of its $5,000 goal.
