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Strange Incident in McKinney, TX Still Bothering Me
I am almost 2 years into being a Texas resident and experienced the strangest incident about a month ago. I wanted to post it because it is still bothering me and I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this.
First of all I am an African-American woman with 2 mixed-race children. We live in the Plano area but frequent Frisco & McKinney a lot for food, entertainment, etc because I live right on the border of both cities. Well one day at a popular restaurant in McKinney I took my boys to watch the football game. We sat at one of the tables in the bar area (it was around 7pm I think). My boys are watching the game, waiting for their food and the next thing I knew, some guy stormed out of the restaurant screaming WHITE POWER! WHITE POWER! WHITE POWER! Yes he was white.
Needless to say I was SHOCKED and MORTIFIED. My children didn't flinch because they have no idea what that means, they have never been in these situations before. For that matter neither have I. We are from the North Suburbs of Chicago where yes there is more diversity than this area, but, I have always interacted in majority white settings. The bulk of my issues have been being followed around in high-end stores while shopping.
Anyway, as soon as he started yelling, I looked around the bar and saw there were more minorities in there than usual and quite a few mixed race couples (black men / white women). Everyone kind of looked at each other, no one addressed the issue. Not even management. We quickly finished our meals and while leaving I noticed a police car parked outside.
My concern is obvious, but my question is, is this the norm out here?
I mean I know racism is still out there, but for this person to blatantly scream WHITE POWER in a setting like a restaurant was bizarre and unnerving. My children were there ... This incident happened about a month ago and I haven't been able to shake it. I stopped going to that popular restaurant and started going out of my way to go to the location in Frisco. But it got so inconvenient I ended up going back to McKinney which is only 5 minutes away from me. I don't sit near the bar anymore ...
Sounds like someone w/ more than a few screws loose.
If you saw the police car outside there was probably more that transpired and the management may have done something about him w/o raising the level of anxiety w/ the patrons. They kept it low and that is good. The dude probably had some issues and there were probably other things going on w/ him that made the restaurant management call the police or another nearby business may have called also about him if he did something there as well.
I'd blow it off and just chalk it up to crazy people that do crazy things and don't really know what they are doing.
My concern is obvious, but my question is, is this the norm out here?
No, and I am sorry it happened to you.
There still are stupid people out there. On both sides. One time I was in South Dallas, and a black woman came up to me and said "How's it going Cracker." (I'm white) Its been almost twenty years, it still bothers me. But it never happened to me again, and I've been in South Dallas many times since the incident.
Just don't hold it against all the people of the race.
That is way out of line! I'm so sorry someone did that -- management should have done something.
For example, I was sitting at a bar in Lakewood and another person evidently said the N-word, quietly in conversation with another person at the bar. The bartender heard her say it, told her that sort of language was not allowed in his establishment and if she did it again he would walk her out. I didn't even know she said it -- the bartender's reaction was much louder than her voice. By the way, everybody in the bar was white.
But your situation was much worse. Besides the movies or TV, I have never in my life heard anyone say "White Power." You should write a letter to the owner of that restaurant or complain to the Better Business Bureau. That is really ridiculous. In fact, the more I think about it, the more it hacks me off. I don't think you will hear it again, but it is shocking and something I would certainly remember -- even as a white guy.
That is not the norm 'out here'. Are there still pockets of that kind of stuff? Sure. Especially in cities that are pushing the boundaries of what were once very isolated suburbs. Here in N. Texas I do find that there is a little more 'steadfastness' in some mores, but things are changing.
I'm sorry to hear that you had that experience, but I would mark it down to an isolated incident and that McKinney is not like that.
I am almost 2 years into being a Texas resident and experienced the strangest incident about a month ago. I wanted to post it because it is still bothering me and I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this.
First of all I am an African-American woman with 2 mixed-race children. We live in the Plano area but frequent Frisco & McKinney a lot for food, entertainment, etc because I live right on the border of both cities. Well one day at a popular restaurant in McKinney I took my boys to watch the football game. We sat at one of the tables in the bar area (it was around 7pm I think). My boys are watching the game, waiting for their food and the next thing I knew, some guy stormed out of the restaurant screaming WHITE POWER! WHITE POWER! WHITE POWER! Yes he was white.
Needless to say I was SHOCKED and MORTIFIED. My children didn't flinch because they have no idea what that means, they have never been in these situations before. For that matter neither have I. We are from the North Suburbs of Chicago where yes there is more diversity than this area, but, I have always interacted in majority white settings. The bulk of my issues have been being followed around in high-end stores while shopping.
Anyway, as soon as he started yelling, I looked around the bar and saw there were more minorities in there than usual and quite a few mixed race couples (black men / white women). Everyone kind of looked at each other, no one addressed the issue. Not even management. We quickly finished our meals and while leaving I noticed a police car parked outside.
My concern is obvious, but my question is, is this the norm out here?
I mean I know racism is still out there, but for this person to blatantly scream WHITE POWER in a setting like a restaurant was bizarre and unnerving. My children were there ... This incident happened about a month ago and I haven't been able to shake it. I stopped going to that popular restaurant and started going out of my way to go to the location in Frisco. But it got so inconvenient I ended up going back to McKinney which is only 5 minutes away from me. I don't sit near the bar anymore ...
As our society has yet to advance enough to discuss these kinds of issues openly, I'm not touching it with a ten foot pole.
I would attribute the incident to the fact it happened where it happened - in a BAR! Since nothing else happened I would have to assume management had already 'done something' about earlier behavior, epsecially since he said it as he was, as you state, 'storming OUT of the bar'....he'd probably already been reprimanded for something and was just acting an ass on his way out the door. Guess a bar is not really a good first choice to take little children at night....they are likely to hear a lot of inappropriate words, especially during a ball game.
I have seen plenty of public outbursts by people over the years - people screaming random things - angry, cussing people, mean, racist things, homophobic things - a lot of homophobic things - or random nonsensical stuff. It's actually one reason I hate going to Wal-mart because it always seems like there is some kind of outburst by somebody over something at Wal-mart.
I'm sorry that happened to you. People are crazy - full of hate. It sounds like the restaurant called the police on him. It could have been he was cut off at the bar either for being drunk or saying things at the bar and they called police and kicked him out and this was his grand exit. You might call the manager and asked what happened that night.
Thanks to all for your candid feedback. I'm still fairly new to Texas and as I mentioned this is the first time I've encountered this.
As for the comment about having small children at a bar GAYLETX. My boys are 8 & 11. We were not AT the bar but at a table on the outer edge to see the tv. I hope you weren't implying its my fault for sitting in that area? There are stringent rules at the location regarding kids at the bar and I've never had any other issues like bad language or drunkenness before.
I'm not judging all of North Dallas, just want to know if this bold display of hate happens frequently. I would like to think both me and my children should be able to eat in peace no matter where we sit.
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