Woman accuses local restaurant of racial discrimination
Incident occurred at Gallery at the Marina
Posted: 09/12/2012
Last Updated:
254 days ago
CHULA VISTA, Calif. -
A Chula Vista woman is accusing a popular South Bay restaurant of racial discrimination.
Ana Garcia said Galley at the Marina is a place she frequents regularly. She was at the restaurant on Saturday night celebrating her birthday with family and friends. However, Garcia said her experience was unlike any other.
"We're all shocked," she said. "I, myself, I've heard of discrimination before... I had not experienced it myself."
When the band stopped playing at 10 p.m., Garcia said she and the group of people she was with started singing.
"La te gusta mi cumbia... and we were all doing the same thing," she said.
Soon after, Garcia said a bartender told them to stop.
"He says, 'because this is an all-American, English-speaking bar only,'" said Garcia.
Matthew Gubitosi was one of the bartenders working that night. He had a different story.
"They basically brought up the fact is it because we're Mexican or Spanish and again the other bartender said, 'I don't care if it's Spanish, English, Japanese or whatever it is, we asked you to be quiet and you wouldn't be quiet, you got louder.' They called us fa***ts and told us they'd be waiting for us outside, so I called the police," said Gubitosi.
Restaurant owner Fran Muncie said her restaurant is all-American but not racist.
"I love Mexican people," she told 10News. "Most of the employees here are Mexican and they're the best."
Regardless, Garcia has already contacted local council members and local leaders to keep the horrific experience she says happened to her from happening to someone else.
"I wouldn't want anyone else to go through the feeling that I got and that I felt," she said. "It's not right."
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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