A Georgia man has been suspended from his job after a video of him bullying and hurling racist insults at a woman at a gas station went viral.
The video, which was first posted on Twitter by At Uncensored Friday, shows a white man in a company shirt fueling a company van with gasoline for a pump station that is next to a Black woman’s car at QuikTrip in North Druid Hills, Georgia.
The worker reportedly threatened to physically harm the woman and called her a Black b—h.
The video sparked outrage on Black Twitter. Many commenting started calling the man’s employer, ENTEK, an industrial machinery manufacturing company based in Buford, Georgia, to report the incident. Others also wrote reviews on the company’s Google page.
ENEK’s president Pat Burrows released a statement Sunday, condemning the man’s actions on LinkedIn. The worker has been placed on unpaid leave while the company investigates the incident.
“We have received numerous calls and messages regarding one of our employees and a recent incident. We are currently investigating this important situation internally,” Burrows wrote. “We do NOT in any way condone acts of racism or disregard of others property and require all employees to treat everyone fairly with professionalism, dignity and respect.”
Neither the man nor woman in the video has been identified. The woman alleges she prepaid for the gasoline the man pumped into the company vehicle.
“I am about to record you,” the woman says.
“You go to your own pump,” the man says.
“He’s trying to steal my money off the thing because I prepaid,” she says.
“This is who he works for,” the woman says, pointing her camera at the company’s logo on the van.
“Get out of the way before I smash your hand,” the man says as he slams the gas pump back down on the holder. He then mutters about “white privilege” and calls the woman a “Black B—h.”
Some social media users applauded the woman for keeping her composure. Others argued that the woman should not have stood by and allowed the man to victimize her and questioned how he was able to just leave the scene. Several even went as far as spelling out ways they would’ve retaliated against him.
“She did the safest things she could’ve done. Remained calm, and recorded the situation, now her $60-$80 worth of gas that she lost gone turn to hundreds of thousands or maybe even a million that she might win once she files that good ‘ole lawsuit against his place of employment,” Twitter user @UA_DropOut wrote.
Still, many also called out the man for his racism.
“Damage control will be costly for Entek. #Racism is the result of ignorance, low self-esteem and extreme fear to the point of mental illness,” Twitter user Caspar O’Searcaigh said. “If real, why is he so comfortable traumatizing that woman while representing Entek? Normal Entek corporate environment?”
ENTEK’s president said if the investigation finds that the employee was “in violation” of the company’s policies, he will “be dealt with very strongly to uphold our company values and amends will be made to those harmed.”
