A young Black woman is sharing the terrifying experience she had when a stranger harassed her in a small seaside town in Southern California, calling her an “n-word c-nt” and threatening to slam her with a car door.
Madinah Muhammad, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, was standing by her car at Pismo Coast Shopping Plaza in Pismo Beach, California, when an older white man wearing a “Trump” hat walked up to her in the parking lot, cursing and using racial slurs.
“I’ll let you know that I’m recording,” she said calmly, as the man demanded she shut her car door so a white driver could take a shady spot next to her in the half-empty parking lot.
“I’ll shut that door,” he threatened her in the video, alluding to slamming the door on Madinah as she was arranging items in her car. “Your f–king door is open, and this gentleman wants to park here, you stupid b-tch,” he barked, as he moved in closer.
Madinah’s October 1 video has gone viral, sparking a wave of shocked reactions. Some debated whether his actions might be considered false imprisonment or a hate crime, and people are calling for the Internet to help identify him.
Madinah said she had been living in her car while traveling, and the man seemed fixated on humiliating her, repeatedly calling her a “homeless c-nt” in his expletive-filled tirade before he finally walked away.
But that wasn’t the end of the frightening ordeal for Madinah. “Do you know what the problem is?” he rambled to a white man behind the wheel of the waiting car, which refused to drive on despite holding up traffic. “She’s a f-cking [N-word]. She thinks she can get away with it.”
The tensions escalated when the man returned to Madinah, this time driving his Ram truck. He angrily flipped her off from the driver’s seat and repeatedly used the N-word. When Madinah tried to escape, he blocked her car with his, preventing her from leaving. Meanwhile, the other white driver idled nearby and watched as she continued recording.
“I hope you have a nice life. You’re holding up traffic. Peace and love to you,” she said as the cars finally drove off.
Concerned commenters marveled at Madinah’s calm demeanor during the dangerous situation. “How you stayed this calm is incredible,” observed one commenter.
Another said, “People love to rage bait, and when they are not successful, they don’t really know what to do.”
While some sided with the MAGA-hat-wearing man, telling Madinah: “Maybe just close your door,” the majority expressed sympathy for her, noting that women are often the targets of all kinds of bullying — including racial harassment — when they’re alone.
“Always like this for women. Energy would be different if it was a dude,” said one, followed by, “They love to go back and forth with women and children. Let a real man pull up.”
