Racism in the U.S. remains a deeply rooted and persistent issue that takes many shapes and forms. Though overt racism can be illegal — as it can constitute hate speech or a hate crime — many incidents fly under the radar, especially those that take place in everyday locations like supermarkets or parking lots, for instance. With that in mind, a racially charged incident occurred recently in California and centred on a disagreement over a parking spot. In short, a racist Trump supporter was arguing with a Black woman over a parking spot, and he ended up branding her the N-word during the ruckus. The footage is making the rounds on social media at the moment.
The clip opens in a sunny parking lot in California, and sees a man in a white, blue and red Trump cap, a white checkered shirt, and blue jeans, as he’s stood next to a white SUV. He’s speaking to the driver of the white SUV vehicle, and appears frustrated because the woman recording the footage — who is a female POC — has her door open and is blocking the entry point to a parking spot next to her vehicle.
As she calmly attempts to reason with the annoyed Trump supporter, you can hear her state, “I would rather you not touch my car. I’m letting you know that I’m recording, and I’m letting you know that if you touch my car, my property, I will report you.”
This response doesn’t seem to placate the man, but instead makes him increasingly irate, as he fires, “I don’t give a [expletive] what you’re doing. Call the [expletive] cops. Call ’em right now ’cause I’m gonna shut that door.” In retort, the woman calmly replies, “Okay, that’s cool.” She then proceeds to point at a few other parking spots that are clearly vacant nearby, and states, “Okay, what’s the problem with all of them right there?“
Again, this explanation doesn’t sit right with the Trump supporter who continues, “Why are you holding up two [expletive] parking spots? Well, your [expletive] door is open and this gentleman wants to park here, you stupid [expletive].” He then calls the woman “homeless” for some unknown reason.
After a short back and forth, the Trump supporter heads back to the white SUV and he loudly states to the other driver, “You know what her problem is? She’s a [expletive] [expletive]. She thinks she can get away with everything.” which reveals his true racist colors.
As the footage circulates across social media, commenters flooded the post to share their thoughts on the heated confrontation. Over on Instagram, many netizens believed that the pair were both in the wrong, with one writing, “Both wrong. But I guarantee he wouldn’t act like that with a man.” while another chipped in with, “What happened to minding your business? What happened to finding a solution and not creating problems?”
Elsewhere, others found it ironic that there were plenty of other free parking spots in the parking lot, with one penning, “Meanwhile there is a whole parking spot right there” and another adding, “There were more parking spots. Move along, quit trying to control what other people do.”
