A woman in Ojai, California, accused a local coffee shop of racism after an employee asked her to leave and even suggested she had stolen her own bag. According to her, she was “kicked out for being Black.”
The whole incident was summarized by TikTok user vivalajayla (Jayla). She accuses Ojai Coffee Roasters in Ojai, California, of mistreating her based on her race. Jayla, a Black woman, said she experienced racism and was left feeling scared after she decided to enter the coffee shop and work there.
Suddently, one of the employees approached Jayla and asked her if she was going to order some coffee. “Not right now. I’m working right now. But maybe later,” Jayla told her. Then, the employee immediately asked her to leave.
However, the worst was yet to come. After Jayla was asked to leave the coffee shop, the employee then asked her if her bag was actually hers, implying that she had stolen it. The employee then picked up the bag, but Jayla prevented her from taking it, according to her.
“Girl, why are you asking me to leave?” Jayla asked in disbelief. The employee answered, “You’re not ordering anything. You need to get out. I’m asking you to leave.” On top of that, another customer, who was sharing the table with Jayla, said, “This is our hometown. Leave.”
Jayla, feeling scared, decided to grab her things and get out, not before everyone stared at her in silence as she exited the coffee shop. In response to a comment, Jayla said that the employee had “no care in the world,” as she didn’t give her a chance to order anything.-
Backlash, Reactions
Many users supported Jayla and have started to review bomb Ojai Coffee Roasters, who are also allegedly deleting comments on their socials.
“I can tell how scared you were with your voice. I’m sooooo sorry!!” one user said. Another one commented, “I was supposed to go here when I visited Ojai recently! So glad I didn’t.” A third one added, “This is beyond awful! I’m so sorry this happened to you, lovely.”
In total, according to Jayla, she spent 10 minutes at the coffee shop. She never used their Wi-Fi as she used her own hotspot and was planning on ordering coffee. It is safe to say she will never visit that place again.
