In a viral clip that’s been making the rounds in recent days, a white Popeyes customer is seen repeatedly shouting “n****r” and threatening to physically harm an employee. While readily available updates on the incident have grown sparse, the video’s continued circulation has spurred a larger conversation about racist (and often violent) behavior.
Among those who have addressed the clip is Vince Staples, who imagined how the racist threats might have been handled at a different location.
“They woulda aired him out at the Louisiana on Atlantic,” the “Magic” artist said in a tweet shared Wednesday.
The footage begins with the man telling one employee to speak with “your boss” about another employee having allegedly referred to him as a “cracker” during their interaction. The man also demanded to be reimbursed. “I called her a fucking n****r after she called me a cracker,” the customer, who used the racist slur multiple times during the tirade, said.
From there, a woman’s voice can be heard attempting to drown out the man’s escalating threats. “I promise you I’m gonna beat your fucking n****r ass,” the man, whose identity has been speculated about on social media, said. “I’m gonna hang you from a fucking tree, bitch. Put me on TikTok. I bet you I’ll beat the fuck out of you.”
The woman continued attempting to drown out the man’s threats and repeated slurs, with the man ultimately observed exiting the restaurant. “I’m white, I’m automatically better than you, bitch,” he could be heard shouting as he left.
Complex has reached out to a Popeyes rep for comment on the video and will update this post accordingly.
As noted in a recent NewsOne report, the footage appears to have originated from a TikTok upload by user @mikehawk397, though any such upload appears to have since been removed. The clip was also shared to Reddit and has been linked to a Popeyes location in Florida.
