‘Is this a holdup?’ White woman blocks Black Postmates driver from building in CA video

Torri Donley

Viral video of a Los Angeles woman blocking a Black Postmates driver from delivering food to another tenant in her apartment building is drawing strong reactions online. The video, originally posted to Instagram on Wednesday, shows a user identified as Jordan Mykel Gipson attempting to make a delivery at an […]

Viral video of a Los Angeles woman blocking a Black Postmates driver from delivering food to another tenant in her apartment building is drawing strong reactions online.

The video, originally posted to Instagram on Wednesday, shows a user identified as Jordan Mykel Gipson attempting to make a delivery at an apartment complex in L.A.’s Westwood neighborhood when he’s confronted by an unidentified woman who refuses to let him near the door.

“So, a Karen stopped me from doing my job,” Gipson captioned the clip, which had over 10,000 views as of Thursday. The word “Karen” has become a term to describe a white woman who is accused of acting entitled, often in a racist or disruptive manner.

The video begins with the woman questioning why he’s wearing that “green thing,” referring to his makeshift face mask.

“Is this a hold up or something?” she asks. “Just take it off.”

The woman proceeds to block Gipson from the door as he speaks with the customer through the building’s callbox system, the video shows.

“So you’re not gonna let me in to deliver this food? I have the number,” he says as he waits to be buzzed in. “I have food I have to deliver to somebody, ma’am.”

“Don’t point that (expletive) at me,” the woman says when she realizes Gipson is recording. “Don’t point that (expletive) thing at me.”

She continues: “Don’t deliver anything here, we don’t want your delivery, here. I don’t want you here at all.”

California seeks court order against Uber and Lyft, saying the companies violate state labor law

Addressing the incident in a statement, Postmates, a food and drink delivery service, said it’s “completely appalled” by what happened.

“Postmates denounces racism, and is committed to the safety of everyone using our platform: couriers, businesses, and customers,” the company told McClatchy News in a statement.

The customer eventually comes over the intercom and verifies that he’s waiting on a delivery from Postmates. Still, the unidentified woman refuses to let Gipson in and repeatedly demands to know who his customer is and where he lives. At one point, she even offers to take the delivery up herself.

“I’m a Black man — I’m just trying to deliver,” Gipson begins.

“I don’t care if he’s a purple man,” the woman responds, speaking to both Gipson and his customer. “He does not live here. I don’t want him near here because I don’t know him and I don’t want people buzzing him into my building. She then claims to know “everyone in this building.”

“He’s not a delivery boy,” she adds. “He had no car, no bike, nothing. He’s not a delivery service. He’s a Black guy walking around with a clicker to get into any building he wants.”

Popular food delivery services cause concern among some local Columbia restaurants

Footage from the encounter also triggered strong reaction among social media users, many who commended Gipson for remaining calm throughout the incident.

“You were so cool in the face of this unacceptable behavior,” one Instagram user wrote. “I hope karma brings you something positive for having to go through that.”

“You have the patience of a saint,” someone else agreed. “I’m so sorry you had to go through this. Unbelievable.”

In the video, Gipson’s back and forth with the woman continues for several minutes. He makes one final call to the customer, who eventually comes down to retrieve the order himself.

Postmates hasn’t said if it will investigate the incident.

Source Article

Next Post

Make This Labor Day Weekend Special By Renting An RV

This post is sponsored and contributed by a Patch Brand Partner. The views expressed in this post are the author’s own. Labor Day weekend will be here before you know it, and the end-of-summer holiday is the perfect chance to take one last vacation with your family before the kids […]