A viral video on TikTok showed the moment a man in California noticed a Black Lives Matter sign at a bar and started harassing customers inside.
The video, uploaded by Andrea or @heythisisdrey on TikTok, received more than 357,000 views and 2,900 comments since it was posted over the weekend.
In the comments, Andrea mentioned that the altercation occurred on Wednesday night at Brew Bar, a live music bar located in Chula Vista. She said it started after a passerby allegedly saw a Black Lives Matter sign hanging inside the bar.
"White Supremacist gets trigger by BLM sign at Brew Bar in Chula Vista," the video's on-screen text read. "Harasses customers and breaks door."
The video starts with a white man standing by the large open window and yelling at someone inside.
"F*ck your racist b*llsh*t," he yelled as he slammed his hands on the bar next to the window.
The man then entered the bar and threw his hands up as he repeatedly yelled, "I'm white!" and to "kill me I'm white."
In the on-screen text, Andrea said that Chula Vista police "know this guy" and that they've allegedly "allowed him to do this to multiple businesses" in the area.
Off-camera, the owner of the bar, Alex, could be heard yelling back at the man and telling him to get out of the bar. But even after being asked to leave, the man continued to yell at Alex. He then raised his hands in the air continued yelling to "kill him" because he was white.
At one point in the video, the man approached a musician playing guitar in the middle of the bar and yelled in his face "I'm white."
The man then walked toward the front door but reentered the bar and yelled at Alex again. Alex continuously yelled at the man to "get out" and eventually threatened to call the police.
"Kick me out," the man replied to Alex with his hands on his hips.
"Yeah dude you're in my space right now," Alex said. "You're making an ass of yourself bro."
The caption of the video explained that Brew Bar supports local musicians and serves as a community space for people all around the area.
In the video, the man continued to yell at people as he stood in the middle of the bar. He then exited the bar, grabbed the front door with his hands, and attempted to undo the door stopper with his foot.
"You're gonna go to jail bro if you break my sh*t," Alex said as the man slammed the door. Andrea told Newsweek that after the man slammed the door, the top of the door frame bent in making it impossible to properly close the door.
The video then jumped to footage of police lights. In the video, Andrea explained that the man was allegedly "arrested and released the same night despite video evidence." She also wrote that Chula Vista Police "tried their hardest to prove this piece of sh*t didn't cause the damage to the door..."
CVPD told Newsweek that the individual was arrested for vandalism involving the door and that he received a citation at the scene.
In the past year, Newsweek has reported on numerous incidents involving BLM signs in various places such as private yards, public streets, and even schools. In some situations, people were caught vandalizing BLM signage including murals, flags, and signs. In others, people began harassing people over their beliefs.
In August, a city worker in Chicago was caught removing BLM signs from a property owner's yard. The man was caught by the owner's security camera, which showed a man in a vest walking onto their yard and yanking out one of their BLM signs before turning it over so it was face down in the yard.
Other instances included a police investigation at a high school in California after BLM art was found vandalized with gray paint. The paint covered the words "Black Lives Matter" and "Equity"
In the comments, many users complained that the man in the now-viral video inserted himself into a situation and invaded people's space. Others mentioned that the man was trying to say that BLM means that his life doesn't matter.
"I can hear him already," one user commented. "'It's so hard being a [white male] in America now! I was just kicked out of an establishment for being white. Reverse racism exists!"
"BLM DOESN'T MEAN ALL LIVES DON'T," another explained. "Idk why people can't comprehend this."
Many also mentioned that they wanted to support the business and others asked Andrea to post more videos of the local musicians at the bar.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Samantha Berlin is a Newsweek reporter based in New York. Her focus is reporting on trends and human-interest stories. Samantha ... Read more
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