SIOUX FALLS, SD - Damon Whitfield and Hector Madera, the two Black truck drivers who were racially profiled, refused service and threatened at a South Dakota Denny’s last month, have hired nationally renowned Civil Rights attorneys Harry Daniels and Erica Wilson following video of the incident where a white waitress ignored the two men while serving white customers went viral on social media sparking outrage across the nation.
The incident began on August 13 when Whitfield and Madera took a break from their cross-country haul and stopped at a Denny's off Interstate 29 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for breakfast. Before long, the pair noticed that their waitress was intentionally ignoring them in order to serve white customers who had come in after they had. When the pair calmly attempted to get the waitress’ attention and order, she began yelling and said “I don't need you people calling me over to this table.” She then stormed off and threatened to call the police.
After Whitfield and Madera spoke to another waitress who said she had “no idea” why they were being asked to leave, police officers arrived and escorted the men out of the restaurant. Upon hearing the full story of the incident, one of the officers apologized to Whitfield and Madera saying “I'm sorry that happened to you.”
Pointing to recent incidents ranging from Sen. Tommy Tuberville defending white nationalists as patriots to last month's hate crime shooting in Jacksonville, Daniels said that racists and white supremacists across America are increasingly empowered making the kind of unapologetic bigotry Whitfield and Madera faced far too common.
“When you see a Congressman referring to Black Americans as ‘colored people’ and the Governor of Florida claiming that slavery was a good thing, it’s easy for the racist that think they can get away with treating a couple of hard-working men like this, said Daniels whose clients include the family of Andrew Brown, the 42-year-old Black man shot in the back of the head by sheriff’s deputies in North Carolina, and Pastor Michael Jennings, the Alabama pastor who arrested while watering his neighbor’s flowers. “But it’s not okay. This isn’t a Woolworth's lunch counter in 1960.”
“I am the daughter and granddaughter of truck drivers and I know firsthand the sacrifices these men make daily to be able to provide for their families,” said Wilson. “I am disheartened by the fact they were reduced to common criminals for merely wanting to grab breakfast so they could get back to work.”
Daniels and Wilson say they are currently examining all legal options before moving forward.
Click HERE, HERE and HERE for video of the incident.
Dr. Rashad Richey, host of the award-winning ‘Rashad Richey Morning Show’ on News & Talk 1380 – WAOK/V-103FM (HD3) (Weekdays 7am -10am), and the ‘Dr. Rashad Richey Review’ on SiriusXM’s Urban View (Sundays at 1pm and 9pm), was voted 'Best Talk Radio Personality in Atlanta' by readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and named 'Most Trusted Voice in Atlanta' by the Atlanta Business Journal, making him the first African-American to receive these distinctions.
The intelligent and fearless television news anchor for the opinion news show, 'Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey’ on the TYT Network, which was named 'fastest growing TV news show in America', and Political Commentator for The People's Station V-103 FM, America's largest urban station, also serves as President of Rolling Out, the largest free-print urban publication in the country. This multimedia powerhouse with over 3-million combined subscribers/followers on Facebook Watch, YouTube, Podcasts, and Twitch combined, is a noted multidisciplinary academic scholar and university professor/lecturer and an Emmy-nominated television Political Analyst for CBS News Atlanta.
Believing in the power of knowledge and education, Dr. Richey holds several advanced degrees, making him one of the most academically credentialed individuals in American history according to America News Now. Completing doctoral research studies in federal policy reform from Clark Atlanta University, Dr. Richey also holds a PhD from the Business University of Costa Rica where his research and doctoral dissertation highlighted the nuances and intersectionality of politics, policy and religion.
Being a student of leadership, Dr. Richey completed studies in Executive Leadership at Cornell University and was accepted into a specialty executive law program at Harvard University in International Finance: Policy, Regulation, and Transactions. Understanding the connectivity of culture and science, Dr. Richey earned his Master of Science in Neuroscience from the University of Pacific, where his master’s thesis researched cognitive functionalities of brain entrainment. Dr. Richey also completed a Master of Science in Applied Physics and Quantum Mechanics from Universidad Empresarial, his master’s thesis was adapted into a book titled, ‘Ancient Egyptian Mastery of Quantum Physics, Vibratory Frequency, and Geometric Sciences: An Overview of Complex Scientific Applications in Ancient Cultures’, which quickly became the #1 Physics, #1 Science, #1 History, and #1 Egyptian Genre b0ok on the Amazon platform.
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