A local NAACP branch is urging the public to boycott an Alabama restaurant after one of its co-owners allegedly called their Black customers the n-word.
In a video shared on social media, a white patron and several Black customers appeared to confront a co-owner of Nick's in the Sticks in Tuscaloosa over his alleged use of a racial slur.
The white patron said he was dining at the restaurant with his friends for a birthday celebration. After sitting down at the restaurant, the patron said the co-owner asked if he was "consorting with those n****s."
Video shows the white customer addressing the incident with the co-owner outside of the restaurant. The patron explained to the co-owner why his use of the N-word was unacceptable.
On Saturday (July 27), protesters gathered outside the restaurant, urging people not to dine there, per WVUA 23.
District 1 Tuscaloosa City Council Member Matthew Wilson condemned the incident.
“The whole community is outraged by what they saw and heard in the TikTok video,” Wilson said in a statement. “In 2024, you should be able to go to any restaurant, sit down, eat, and be comfortable. We want to spend our money where we are respected.”
Tuscaloosa County Branch NAACP President Lisa Young also called for a boycott of the restaurant.
“There’s a long history of violence and racism behind that word and so when you hear it, it’s a trigger word,” Young said. “That’s why we’re here today. We’re asking people to not patronize Nick’s in the Sticks if they don’t respect us, they don’t need our Black dollars.”
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