Everyone has dealt with a crazy online argument where it seems no matter how badly you want the other person to just stop, they refuse to take the hint.
At the very least, when the argument is online, you can set your phone down or walk away from the computer. However, if you encounter one of these in real life, you can't walk away.
For one coffee shop customer, this became a very real fear.
Guy loses his s*** over BLM sign at a coffee shopwww.youtube.com
In the above video, a man named Rohan Singh went to Burly Coffee in Brooklyn, NY to get himself a cup of coffee. However, when he arrived, the barista was being harassed by another customer.
The man was complaining to the employee about a "Black Lives Matter" sign they had displayed. He also took issue with a requirement that all customers wear a mask due to the ongoing pandemic.
Singh said in an interview with the Gothamist:
"From what the barista told me, the man specifically walked up to complain about either the sign and/or the mask policy. The barista was already trying to get the man to leave when I arrived."
"I stepped up and harshly told him to leave as well, but he wouldn't. So then I just started filming."
The resulting video was uploaded online, and shared to Reddit.
"It's soo much work to cause a scene, if you don't agree with the coffee shop, don't go." - bcon_731
"Like, how the f*** can you angry about seeing a BLM sign in the MIDDLE OF BED STUY. I pass by this spot all the time and I would be raging that this dude prevented me from getting coffee." - Radjage
"This is the literal embodiment of "sir, this is a Wendy's."" - EthanCoxMTL
"Petition for that haircut to be the male version of Karen" - iamthechees3
The irate man, identified as Abraham Knofler, spends the video with his phone out recording the employee, while the employee records him back, all being recorded by Singh.
Knofler keeps asking why they have a "Black Lives Matter" sign up, and eventually starts his own mini-protest by chanting "All Lives Matter".
Despite requests from the employee and Singh, Knofler refuses to move or leave. This is exacerbated by the fact that he isn't wearing a mask, despite the global pandemic and infection rates in New York city.
Before he deleted it, Knofler's Twitter page included many retweets of conservative figures and evidence he believed the viral pandemic to be a hoax.
For many, believing "All Lives Matter" but not wearing a mask to protect other people felt very contradictory.
The barista and Signh tried to get the man to leave the shop, because he was harassing the employee and obviously not buying anything. However, he kept placing the blame back on the sign.
He says in the video several times:
"This sign caused the whole problem."
And:
"The sign is causing the problem, not me."
The video was shared far and wide, with Singh commenting on it and answering questions when it found its way to Twitter.
Eventually, they have to close the shop to get Knofler to leave.
This still isn't easy, as he makes even that process difficult, slowing them as much as possible before walking off down the street.
Burly Coffee is all too familiar with this customer and the kind of annoyance he can bring. Luckily, he isn't violent, but his actions would be distressing for many people.
The virtual tip jar shared by Singh has had a lot of contributions and the coffee shop is very grateful to the community.
If you disagree with a businesses signage, you can always boycott them. And just walk away.
@islamoradalover/Bluesky
@hillbillybluedog/Bluesky
