A man, identified as Michael Lofthouse, the CEO of Solid8, an IT company based in San Francisco, launched an obscene racist rant at an Asian family celebrating a birthday at a restaurant in Carmel Vally, California.
The aftermath of the incident was captured on video by Jordan Chan, who said she had been singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her aunt at Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia restaurant when Lofthouse began yelling things at them like “F**k you Asians”, “Go back to whatever fucking Asian country you’re from”, and “You don’t belong here”.
In the video, Chan told Lofthouse to repeat what he said, and Lofthouse said, “F**k you. You f**kers need to leave. You Asian piece of sh*t” while giving the group the finger.”
The waitress stepped in and began yelling at Lofthouse: “You need to leave. No, you do not talk to our guests like that. You need to leave right now. Get out of here. You are not allowed here ever again.”
Chan told KION: “I’ve dealt with racism as well but never on that scale. Never on that level to the point where somebody completely unprovoked felt obligated to voice out their hatred for absolutely no reason, just because they’re filled with that much hatred and because what, because we’re different skin color.”
Chan posted another incidence of racism by Lofthouse following the encounter.
KION adds: “In addition to support Chan is receiving on social media, we’re learning people are showing support for the waitress in the video. We’re told she’s receiving donations online for how she handled the situation and plans to donate them tO the ACLU.”
The Bernardus Lodge issued a statement following the incident: “This is an extremely unfortunate situation, however we are proud of our staff at Lucia in keeping with Bernardus Lodge’s core values; this incident was handled swiftly and the diner was escorted off property without further escalation. We provide guests with a safe environment for lodging and dining, and extend our sincere apologies to the guests enjoying a birthday celebration on a holiday weekend.”
Heavy.com reports: “Records show that Lofthouse emigrated to the United States in 2010, originally living in New York City. Lofthouse graduated from Newcastle Business School in 2005. He studied business at the school, which is associated with Northumbria University, located in the northeast of England, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn page. Lofthouse’s Twitter page has been suspended due to a violation of Twitter’s rules.”
