http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2533645/Outrage-interracial-military-couple-given-racist-valet-ticket-jungle-fever-scrawled-Georgia-eatery.htmlOutrage as interracial military couple given racist valet ticket with 'jungle fever' scrawled across it at Georgia eatery.
An interracial Georgia couple out celebrating New Year's Eve at a popular local restaurant say a valet handed them their car keys with a tag bearing an offensive racial slur.
U.S. Army Sgt Major Samuel Aarons, who is white, and his wife, Candea, who is black, were outraged when they inspected the piece of paper attached to their key ring and discovered the words 'jungle fever' scrawled on it.
The derogatory term refers to a romantic relationship involving an African-American person and a Caucasian person.
‘We have never been so blatantly described in such a blatantly appalling manner ever,’ Candea Aarons told the station WSB-TV.
The incident took place at Spondivitis Bar and Grill in East Point, where the Columbus couple celebrated New Year's Eve Tuesday night.
The management of the restaurant later explained that the valet who allegedly wrote the slur was employed by an outside company called APS Valet.
The unnamed man, who was described by the Aarons as black, has since been fired.
In a lengthy post on the eatery’s Facebook page, chef Glenn Gagne stated that 'Spondivitis does not tolerate racial speech of any kind.'
'We are known for our racial diversity,' Gagne wrote Friday. 'We have been seen with our logo on the side of a Nascar Truck one week then we are featured as lyrics in Rap / Hip Hop songs by artist like Jeezy the next week.'
The chef went on to say that the employee in question was terminated by the valet company less than 12 hours after the incident, and the owner of APS personally contacted the couple to offer them his apologies.
According to Gagne, it is a common practice among valets to write a description of the car owners on the ticket to make it easier for them to spot the patrons when they are asked to fetch their vehicle at the end of the night.
'This valet wrote an unacceptable description on this customer's ticket, but it was not him trying to send a racist message to the customers,’ Gagne insisted. ‘He just has poor taste and this cost him his job.'
However, Mrs Aarons believes that the parking attendant wanted them to see the offensive message.
‘It was put on there in such a way that the comment faced us,' she told WTVM.
Mr Aarons and his wife have been married for over 12 years, and according to the couple, this is the first time they have been subjected to racial discrimination.
The couple said the valet was courteous and even opened the doors for them, earning himself a generous tip
‘I was upset, but more disappointed. More disappointed that this is 2014 and we still have individuals out there who still have these beliefs,’ said Samuel Aarons.
The serviceman, who only recently returned from a deployment in Kuwait, recalled that the valet was courteous to him and his wife, helping them into their car as they were leaving.
The solider was pleased with the service and even gave the attendant a generous tip, not realizing what was written on the parking tag hanging from his key ring.
=====================================================================
Seems much ado about nothing... No one got pissed when Spike Lee used the term in a movie title... What a bunch of shit.
