A Black man filling up his tank at a Walmart gas station began recording as soon as he heard a white woman shouting at him. The reason for the confrontation became clear almost immediately: the stranger was furious because she believed the man’s car allegedly smelled “like weed.”
Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a State Farm Insurance logo, the woman let loose a string of vile expletives, including the N-word, before threatening the man’s life.
“You’re the biggest f-cking piece of sh-t,” she screamed in the wild gas station rant that was posted to Instagram on Aug. 24. “You smell like weed coming out of your f-cking car.”
In the video, she approached the man aggressively, getting within inches of his face while accusing him of driving under the influence. When she noticed her tirade was being filmed, instead of dialing it back, she doubled down on the bad behavior, using a racial epithet.
“You f-cking [N-word],” she shouted before telling the shocked man, “I hope you get f-cking murdered.” Meanwhile, the man can be heard repeatedly urging her to back off, and at one point, he even said, “Don’t touch me,” while his friend also warned her not to escalate the situation, for her own good.
The video has quickly amassed views, and commenters are demanding that State Farm fire the woman, although her employment with the $123 billion insurance giant is unconfirmed.
Still, many Instagram users are tagging State Farm Insurance in the comments section of the video, some to raise awareness and others to announce they’re taking their business elsewhere. Many couldn’t help but joke about State Farm’s most prominent African-American employee, the fictional “Jake from State Farm.”
The company developed an expansive ad campaign around an ever-present Black insurance agent, portrayed by actor Kevin Miles. He appears in TV commercials, boasts a giant following on social media, and has attended countless high-profile events in the real world, such as NBA playoff games and gaming conventions, all while in character.
“Where is Jake at?!😂” one person humorously wondered, followed by “Jake’s girl is trippin! Dropping @statefarm, what’s good @geico.”
Despite the jokes, the sheer level of hate on display rightfully struck a nerve. “State Farm, I’m canceling my account because of this. She represents your brand, which is pretty unfortunate…” noted one. “She is full of hate. Period,” said another. “That racism is eating her alive.”
