SCREENSHOT FROM FACEBOOK VIDEO A woman, reported to be a Cranbrook, B.C., resident named Kelly Pocha, argues with a group in this screengrab from a video posted to Facebook by Monir Omerzai.
jwschnarr@lethbridgeherald.com
LETHBRIDGE HERALD
A woman seen in a viral video on social media making racist remarks during a recent argument in a Lethbridge Denny’s has apologized for her actions — and has been dismissed form her job — but says the video does not show the entire story.
The video in question, from April 21, shows a woman identified as Cranbrook resident Kelly Pocha sitting in a booth arguing with some men. Within seconds, the woman begins hurling racist insults.
After telling the men to “go back to your f***ing country,” Pocha further responded with profanity to a request to be respectful, and became more aggressive when the men said they were all Canadians.
“You are not Canadian,” she said repeatedly, while the men insisted they were.
She then went on a tirade about whether they paid taxes.
“You’re not dealing with one of your Syrian b****** right now,” she said. “You’re dealing with a Canadian woman, and I’m not going to be talked down to by you.”
From there, the woman and the men engaged in a heated exchange.
After the argument calmed down, the woman and the men began talking to their respective tables but continued to chirp at each other. At one point, the woman appeared to react to the sound of the men speaking by demanding they speak English.
“You don’t f***ing raise your nationalism here,” she said. “Speak English or don’t speak at all.”
In a statement sent to CTV Lethbridge, Pocha said her actions that night were “inexcusable” and could not be taken back. However, she said the video only shows one side of the altercation.
“What you did not see in the video is the racial comments and obscenities made at me by the four men involved,” she wrote. “It’s unfortunate that nobody gets to see that part, and what you are seeing in the video is my reaction to these comments.”
She acknowledged her comments as “inappropriate and racial,” but that she was standing up for herself.
Every culture and every human being should be respected it does not matter what color you are where you came from please share this video thank you
Posted by Monir Omerzai on Tuesday, May 8, 2018
She also expressed disappointment regarding the public response on social media, and that racial and degrading comments had been made about her and her family.
She said the behaviour seen on the video does not reflect who she is as a person, and that she would be seeking professional help “to see this doesn’t happen again.”
“I would like to formally apologize to these men, as I did to the staff and management at Denny’s in Lethbridge two weeks ago for my actions,” she wrote. “I am human. I make mistakes.”
On Wednesday, a post to Premier Rachel Notley’s Twitter account stated: “Racist, bigoted comments have no place in Alberta. Our government is always working to foster acceptance and better understanding of our differences. By working together, we can make life better for all. Everyone is welcome in Alberta.”
Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman said the comments made in the video did not reflect the views of the City, and he apologized to the men who were subjected to the language.
“I’d like to apologize to the people who were directly affected and on the receiving end of the abuse,” he said. “That’s not acceptable behaviour in the city of Lethbridge, and I sincerely apologize that it occurred in our city.”
The identity of the woman was not immediately clear. But by Wednesday afternoon, social media had widely identified the woman as Pocha in part through a contact page at Cranbrook Dodge where she worked.
In an email to The Herald, Dave Girling, owner of Cranbrook Dodge, confirmed Pocha had been fired.
“We have recently become aware of a disturbing video that involves one of our employees,” Girling said.
“We are deeply concerned about the content of this video and want all of our friends, families, and customers to know that this behaviour does not reflect the values of Cranbrook Dodge in any way.
“We strive to be a welcoming and inclusive company with no room for hate or intolerance. The employee in question has been terminated and we deeply apologize for her actions.”
Spearman said he was disgusted by the video when he saw it on social media and felt it important to speak up.
“This kind of behaviour is not acceptable in our city,” he said. “It does not represent who we are as a city, and it’s not supported by myself or by City Council.”
In spite of the outpouring support for the men, Spearman acknowledged that racism is something minority groups and First Nations people are forced to deal with on a regular basis. The video posts on social media were peppered with comments in support of the woman – many of which caused their own side-arguments.
“I’ll be the first person to tell you we haven’t solved all our issues,” Spearman said, but added the goal was for all people to be able to live by the City’s motto: “Gateway to Opportunity.”
“That’s a gateway for opportunity for all who live here,” he said.
There were a number of questions around the response by Denny’s staff to the incident as well.
The man who filmed the video and posted it to social media, Monir Omerzai, did not return a request for an interview. But he stated in a social media post that it was his group of friends, and not Pocha, who were told to leave the restaurant by police.
They were also told by the manager they would have to pay for the food they had ordered and that they could pack it up and take it with them, but the men declined the food and left without paying.
LPS issued a news release late Wednesday afternoon stating the two groups had been separated prior to their arrival and that they had been yelling at each other with one side using racial slurs.
“After consultation with police, restaurant staff made the decision to exercise their right to refuse service to both groups and asked that they leave,” the release reads.
“Both groups eventually complied and left the restaurant without further incident. Any information being circulated on social media suggesting that police advised only one group to leave and escorted them out of the restaurant is false.”
Denny’s Corporate did not respond to requests for comment.
The Denny’s in question is the same restaurant where controversial rock musician Marilyn Manson was involved in an altercation in 2015.
