Source: Joe Sohm/Visions of America / Getty
A self-described Mexican American woman has gone viral after a video showed her confronting a group of four Indian women before punching and kicking at least one during an expletive-laden racist and violent meltdown in a Texas parking lot.
The “Karen” moment took place in the Dallas suburb of Plano after the Indian women ate dinner at a restaurant and resulted in some serious criminal charges, according to the local ABC News affiliate WFAA.
It was not immediately clear when the attack happened. However, Esmeralda Upton was arrested and charged with assault bodily injury and terroristic threats following her egregious display of racist and violent entitlement by someone whose rhetoric suggests she eagerly identifies with right-wing conservatives. She was being held on a $10,000 bond.
Rani Banerjee told WFAA that she called the police after Upton confronted her and her friends in a parking lot as they were leaving the Sixty Vines restaurant. Banerjee said she began recording footage that became part of a nearly 2-and-a-half-minute video that opens abruptly with the women, who speak in an Indian accent, asking Upton why she walked up to them.
“I hate you f*cking Indians, that’s why!” Upton growled back.
The video then cuts to Upton gesturing with her cellphone as if she’s recording the group before continuing her anger-fueled anti-immigration racist rant.
That’s when Upton felt the need to point out that she was a “Mexican American” who was “born here,” all while mocking Indian accents.
“I’m a Mexican American and I speak English,” Upton insisted to Banerjee, who was also speaking English.
“Everywhere I f*ckin’ go, you Indians are everywhere,” Upton snarled.
The video then cuts to a wider angle in footage filmed by someone else that shows Upton walking up to and appearing to punch Banerjee in the head or face.
“I’m Mexican,” Upton said, “and I pay my f*ckin’ way here!”
When one of the women asks why Upton would not only confront them but also assault them, she lashes out and tries to grab the cell phone recording the racist antics.
Failing at her first attempt, Upton swiped at the phone again, appearing to be much more violent in nature than the initial try.
“She’s kicking me,” the person filming said.
As if that’s not enough, Upton gestured in her purse as if she was reaching for a gun and threatened the life of the person recording: “Turn that goddamn phone off or I swear to f*cking God I’ll shoot your ass!”
Watch the unfortunate turn of very racist events unfold below. Please be advised that explicit language is used throughout the video.
Before Upton was charged, the Dallas Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-DFW) called for her to be held legally accountable for her racism that may qualify as a hate crime.
“The level of vitriol and alleged physical assault against four Indian-American women in Plano is truly appalling,” Faizan Syed, executive director of CAIR-DFW, said in a statement on Thursday. “This type of hate has no place in North Texas, and we call on law enforcement to investigate this incident as a hate crime.”
Nahela Morales, a Mexican-American board member of CAIR-DFW, said Upton brought shame on people of the same heritage.
“As a Mexican-American, I’m appalled that someone would dare use my people’s name to spread hate,” Morales said in a statement. “As people of color, we need to stand together in solidarity to build bridges of love and understanding, not to bring each other down. To the women in the video, I want to say you don’t speak for our community or me; shame on you. I encourage you to learn about the shared culture between South Asians and Mexicans.”
This is a developing article that will be updated as additional information becomes available.
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