Woman fired after video of racist tirade at Lethbridge Denny’s goes viral
Posted May 9, 2018 3:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A Lethbridge man is still shaken after he recorded a woman unleashing a racist attack at a local Denny’s restaurant.
“It was affecting me, you know? When I was watching the video over and over and over, it was affecting me,” said Monir Omerzai, who shot the video in April and posted it Tuesday night.
In the video, Kelly Pocha tells the men to go back to their own country, makes graphic remarks about their ethnicity and accuses them of not paying taxes like other Canadians.
“That’s the most thing that made me shocked, because I myself am a businessman. I have a car [dealership] that I deal with people all the time and try to help out the community, and try to help people, right? So it makes me think a lot,” said Omerzai.
The mayor of Lethbridge is condemning the incident and says it does not reflect the southern Alberta city’s attitude toward newcomers. He said the incident was fueled by alcohol and the woman is not from his community.
“I apologize unreservedly to the people who were subjected to this abuse,” said Chris Spearman. “I’m embarrassed that it happened in our city and I’ve stated that publicly. And I’ve commented on social media because it’s not good enough to stand by say nothing.”
Pocha, a mother of three from Cranbrook B.C., said she was having a bad day. She said her tirade is out of character and it is not fair that the video has gone viral on social media. 660 NEWS made a request to speak with Pocha at her work at Cranbrook Dodge. A receptionist said she was out to lunch over the noon hour but on Wednesday afternoon the company said it fired Pocha.
Omerzai is also upset about the way the incident was handled. He said a waitress moved Pocha to another table and apologized to her, then management told his group they could pack up their food, pay and leave. He said Lethbridge police were called to the restaurant and officers escorted him and his friends out first.
A Denny’s spokesperson said the company is investigating the incident and may provide comment at a later time.
