Women Filmed ‘Attacking NYC Restaurant Hostess After She Questioned Their Vaccination Cards’ Say They Were Racially Profiled

Three Texas women who were seen in a video allegedly attacking a NYC restaurant hostess after their vaccination cards were questioned said they were racially profiled and called the n-word.

Video shows Carmine’s hostess being assaulted over NYC COVID vaccine requirement. https://t.co/mNhCnObOMJ pic.twitter.com/PbQxB84r3b

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) September 17, 2021

The trio, who are black, are now claiming their unnamed 24 year-old hostess, who is Asian, was actually the aggressor, and have called for her to be fired.

They spoke out two days after Thursday’s incident at popular Upper West Side restaurant Carmines. Restaurant staff jumped in to defend their coworker, who was left with bruises and scratches, with footage of the brawl making headlines across the United States.

Since then, lawyers for the women and the restaurant exchanged words, and Hawk Newsome, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter NY, said they plan to hold a protest on Monday.

Texas civil rights lawyer Justin Moore told Daily News, ‘This hostess clearly has some anger management issues and unfortunately her aggression and her violence led to something that three Black women are being punished for.’

A lawyer for Carmine’s denied the Texas women’s accusation.

‘Any claim that they were racially profiled is a complete fabrication, disingenuous, and outright irresponsible,’ the lawyer, Carolyn Richmond, told The Daily News.

The three black Texas women – Kaeita Rankin, 44, her niece Tyonnie Keshay Rankin and Sally Rechelle Lewis, 49, – were arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief.

They were given desk appearance tickets and ordered to appear in court on October 5.

The hostess ‘refused service to these women and got hostile with them,’ Moore said in a statement on Friday.

‘The injuries that she received were incurred by her being physically restrained by other staff at Carmine’s after she was called out for racial discrimination, which she took offense to.’

The civil rights lawyer said the women were leaving when someone – it’s unclear who – called them the n-word and claimed the hostess was the aggressor by ‘lunging’ at Rankin.

‘The hostess is apparently poorly trained to deal with patrols and has obvious issues with black women and has a disregard for women of color,’ Moore said.

Carmine’s, which has two locations in New York City as well as outposts in spots including Las Vegas, is known for large servings of pasta and other Italian dishes.

The restaurant has been following the city’s rule requiring proof of vaccination for indoor restaurant dining, which has been in effect since August 17 but is only just being enforced as of this week.

Bank, the CEO of the restaurant group of which Carmine’s is a part, said the host who was assaulted had offered the women a seat outdoors after they did not produce satisfactory proof of vaccination.

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He said Thursday’s altercation started with a verbal dispute and escalated quickly.

‘It’s ridiculous that she’s sitting here saying, “Please don’t assault me.” It’s just surreal,’ Bank said.

He said there would be security at the restaurant’s host stand Friday.

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