An Asian postal clerk was called 'chink' twice by a customer at the USPS post office located on Main Street in Los Altos, California. The unidentified woman was later forced to leave the premises by other customers who witnessed the racist incident.
Used as an ethnic slur, the word chink usually refers to a person of Chinese origin. The word is also used to discriminate against people bearing East Asian appearance. The term is considered offensive globally.
Racist Woman Says She is in US for 38 Years
The video clip of the incident was shared by Dion Lim, a correspondent with ABC 7 News in San Francisco, on her Facebook page. Tyler Brumfield, a customer who witnessed the racst incident had sent Lim the one-and-half-minute-long clip.
The unidentified woman, who was wearing a mask, gained the attention of the other people present in the post office after she shouted at the post office employee saying, "That's it. Get rid of me. Can't you just do your job? It's simple."
"A letter with a certified return receipt. I don't need to hear all this other stuff that you want me to try to dictate to me. I've been in this country for 38 years I think I should know what I'm doing," she continued. One of the customers is heard saying, "There we go," as the other added, "I'm just going to call the police."
Following the shoutout, the postal clerk is seen stepping away from her counter as the masked woman shouts again, "damn chink." Soon there is a volley of protests from the customers in the office who tell the racist woman that it is not appropriate. "Hey, not appropriate. Absolutely not. That is not acceptable. Totally not OK," the people who witnessed the incident are heard in the video.
When one of the customers tells the woman that she may need to go somewhere, she says: "You don't know what I said." The customer replies, "We all did." It is then the angry woman grabs her stuff from the counter. Before leaving the office, she calls the Asian American postal clerk "bitch Chink." As she exits the post office, people are heard shouting 'Bye Karen' with the angry woman showing a middle finger.
USPS Launches Investigation Into the Incident
Speaking to the outlet, USPS communications person said that they have launched an investigation into the incident. "We don't tolerate this kind of behavior and "abusive language" and provide training to all of our employees who come in contact with," he said.
The incident has caused widespread outrage on social media where the users are sharing the clip of the incident. "Why does every "Karen" or "Kevin" siesta have to start any rant with I have lived in this country for so & so many years ♀️ GREAT FOR YOU so if they have lived all those lives then it shouldn't be a surprise to see diversity in people that have lived here our whole lives too ✔️✔️," wrote a user on Instagram.
"That employee has never been anything but professional and polite every time I have been in that post office. Shame on that awful woman who was obviously not taught acceptable behavior by her family," a user wrote on Facebook.
"TOTALLY unacceptable!! The USPS clerk was doing her job and received this outburst back!! I hope the PD was able to locate her n write her up for her racial comments," wrote another.
