New York Times: Racist comment to customer in Draeger's

In the age of Trump, I'm not shocked by anything anymore.

Just read about an Asian-American man stopped at a red light after visiting a store in the East Bay. A pickup truck full of Texas oil workers started throwing cans of beer at his car. When he called 911, they beat him up, causing serious injuries. News report in the Chronicle: Web Link

Trump. He is making it much worse.

And we all know it.

Really. Lived in the valley now for over 20 years and I have a difficult time believing this actually happened in Draegers's. I'm calling BS.

I rarely go to Draeger's but as many people have said, it's hard to believe that this actually happened. The piece depicted an inclusive area with a very diverse population as a bastion of white snobbery. Worse than that, it defamed a small family-owned grocery business for no good reason, as the "you belong at Safeway" line could have been deleted without impacting the article's takeaway.

Only takes one Trumper to make life miserable for a whole group of people. I find this report very easy to believe. The report says the racist comments came from another customer, not from a Draeger employee.

If you don't think this happened, either Ms. Zuleta is lying or the NY Times is.

Unless you are a minority yourself living in a significant white majority neighborhood, it's unlikely you've witnessed direct racism yourself. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

It's the same disconnect that exists between Black Lives Matters and most of white America. The former encounters racism on a regular basis and sees a big problem. The latter doesn't see any racism because they haven't lived in a minority's shoes. They think everything is ok.

Menlo Park is over 70% white with a big caveat. Most MP minorities live in Belle Haven. That means the area around Draeger's is very white, especially when you consider the surrounding towns of Atherton, Portola Valley, and Woodside are in the grocery market's service area.

I can't comment on the Draeger's incident other than to say there are stupid people everywhere.

I haven't done a survey buy my informal observations is that Bay Area is one of the least integrated places I've ever seen. The next time you're in a restaurant, look around. See any African-American faces sitting at nearby tables? When I'm in the South (and I often am), restaurants and stores seem to have a very diverse customer base.

Just my opinion.

Our downtown is frequented by quite the diverse crowd of residents, workers and visitors. Everyone deserves the same amount of respect.

San Mateo county Census estimate 2015
28% Asian
25% Hispanic or Latino
39.9% White
2.9% Black or African
4.5% 2 or more races

34% foreign born

Web Link

Most minority or foreign born people have experienced racist comments, just as most women have endured sexist comments. Just because you haven't witnessed it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. It's a horrible fact of life.

As a white female, I can remember tons of sarcastic, insulting comments I've heard about my gender over my lifetime, but women rarely talk about it except with their close friends. Ignore and move on. Note to self to not be friends with that jerk.

I have African, Latino, and Asian friends and colleagues that say the same thing. They primarily complain about it to each other, because what do they get by raising the issue? Accusations of lying. Just like some of you just did.

I am a California-born non-white person and have lived in Menlo Park since the 1980s. Most non-white long-term Menlo Park residents tell me that they have experienced subtle or not subtle racism from strangers around town. Yes, we regularly talk about this kind of thing. It is not every day or every month, but often enough that I believe this incident occurred exactly as reported. If the incident is not violent, most victims will just ignore it and believe that the other person is an ignorant racist who doesn't deserve the anger they are trying to incite. Perhaps more people should speak up like the person in this report. Then more white people would believe it is a problem in Menlo Park and teach their children better.

I'm happy to see local citizens who are not happy with such a comment. My father and his family grew up in Los Altos and were middle class. My grandpa was named citizen of the year in Mountain View. Him, and my nana worked at the cannery and were Mexican Americans.

It's a shame people really don't know any of the local history as it pertains to where they live.

The New York Times said it was Trump like behavior. Donald Trump has hired thousands of minorities to work on his projects. He hired them because they were qualified, and did good work. If you look at the Clinton Global Initiative you see a sea of white faces where the men make over 25% more than the women. Where is the Diversity in Clinton Land. Oh you got Cheryl Mills who will be the sacrifi8cal lamb if things go south for Hillary.

When you look at the registration demographics of Menlo Park as of October 24, 2016 there were 9,112 Democrats and 3,411 Republicans. An almost 3 to 1 registration advantage. Chances are it was a Democrat and not a Republican who made that remark.

After all the Democratic Party founded the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski Tennessee after the Civil War with the express intent of interfering with the Republican Party's reconstruction efforts and to terrorize, torture, rape, maim, and execute African Americans simply because they did not like the color of their skin.

"Belle Haven Republican" Oh, so you're the one! Been curious.


- "Donald Trump has hired thousands of minorities to work on his projects"

Yes, he has. He has even been caught hiring illegals, and paying sub-standard wages, sometimes below minimum wage. So don't get all "high and mighty" about Trump being an equal opportunity employer who loves to employ what he calls "the blacks."

He just equally screws all those the work for him.

After they use the Chinese made steel that Trump buys on the cheap.: google Trump chinese steel, Trump polish illegal employees, Trump mob lawyers Trump Tower, Trump screw small business contractors, and any of the other phrases that involve Trump cheating the small business owner.

Our racist is back, talking about a political party of 150 years ago. How conveniently he ignores more recent times, such as the Dixiecrats leaving the Democratic Party for the Republican party of the renowned "Southern Strategy" of Jim Crow.


Here's what you get when you google "Trump screw small business contractors":



USA Today: "USA TODAY exclusive: Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills - AMONG THOSE WHO SAY BILLIONAIRE DIDN'T PAY: DISHWASHERS, PAINTERS, WAITERS"

"During the Atlantic City casino boom in the 1980s, Philadelphia cabinet-builder Edward Friel Jr. landed a $400,000 contract to build the bases for slot machines, registration desks, bars and other cabinets at Harrah's at Trump Plaza.

The family cabinetry business, founded in the 1940s by Edward’s father, finished its work in 1984 and submitted its final bill to the general contractor for the Trump Organization, the resort’s builder.

Edward’s son, Paul, who was the firm’s accountant, still remembers the amount of that bill more than 30 years later: $83,600. The reason: the money never came. “That began the demise of the Edward J. Friel Company… which has been around since my grandfather,” he said.

Donald Trump often portrays himself as a savior of the working class who will "protect your job." But a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis found he has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades — and a large number of those involve ordinary Americans, like the Friels, who say Trump or his companies have refused to pay them."



- "Donald Trump has hired thousands of minorities to work on his projects"

Yes, and he screws them like he screws everyone else he can for a buck.

Now he wants to screw working Americans from the White House.

Vote, peoples.

Vote like your livelihood and your family depend on it. It does.

Trump has a proven history of stiffing American workers - from not paying contractors and forcing them to sue to collect, settling for pennies on the dollar, to buying Chinese steel, y manufacturing all his cheap products in China and Mexico.

Anything for an extra buck and who cares about working class Americans... then really shafts them by not paying taxes!