>> I'M WEARING A TRUMP HAT AND
LOOK AT THIS.
JUST BECAUSE I WORE A TRUMP
HAT
HAT.
LIZ: WELL, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO
BE A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MEAL
AT A CHEESE CAKE FACTORY IN
THE MIAMI AREA, BUT IT ENDED
WITH A MAN, HE SAYS, GETTING
HARASSED OVER HIS TRUMP MAKE
AMERICA GREAT AGAIN HAT.
SAYS CHEESE CAKE WORKERS
BULLIED AND THREATENED HIM,
INTIMIDATING HIS ENTIRE
FAMILY.
NOW CHEESE CAKE HITS THEIR
BRAND REPUTATION.
THEY FIRED TWO OF THE
WORKERS.
LET'S TAKE A CHECK OF THE
STOCK CLOSING IN THE GREEN.
YOUNG MAN WHO SAYS HE WAS
HARASSED AT THAT CHEESE CAKE
FACTORY, HE IS EUGENE JOSEPH
AND LIBERATOR COUNTY FOUNDER
AND CHAIRMAN MATTHEW.
GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH.
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> HI, HOW ARE YOU DOING
>> HI, HOW ARE YOU DOING.
LIZ: FIRST TO YOU, EUGENE.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT
HAPPENED.
>> WELL, BASICALLY, WE'RE AT A
CHEESE CAKE FACTORY.
WE GET SEATED.
MY GIRLFRIEND'S AUNT, SHE
OVERHEARS PEOPLE.
SHE SEES SOME COWORKERS BEHIND
US AND OVERHEARD THEM AND
SAID, HEY, GUYS, PAY ATTENTION
THERE'S A COUPLE OF GUYS
TALKING ABOUT EUGENE AND
TALKING ABOUT HIS HAT.
AND SHE WANTED TO LET US KNOW
WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND AS TIME WENT BY, I LOOKED
BACK AT THE GUY, SEEN THE GUY
THAT WAS STARING AT ME.
I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF
IT.
I JUST IGNORED IT.
AND AS TIME WAS GOING BY,
WAITRESSES AND DIFFERENT
WAITERS ARE COMING TO OUR
TABLE AND BEING REALLY RUDE TO
US AND COWORKERS STARTED
STANDING BEHIND ME AND SAYING
SOME CRAZY THINGS.
AND WE WERE ALL AT THE TABLE,
AND WE WERE SHOCKED TO HEAR
THINGS LIKE THAT.
THEY WERE, LIKE, I CAN'T WAIT
TO HIT THAT HAT OFF HIS HEAD.
I WANT TO KNOCK THE HAT OFF
HIS HEAD SO BAD.
AND IT WAS MY FAMILY AND MY
GIRLFRIEND'S FAMILY, AND WE
WERE JUST SO SCARED, AND IT
WAS SAD TO BE IN THAT MOMENT
WAS SAD TO BE IN THAT MOMENT.
LIZ: YOU KNOW, THERE'S A
CULTURAL DIVIDE IN THIS
COUNTRY WHEN IT COMES TO HOW
PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT POLITICS,
AND IT DOES INTERSECT WITH
BUSINESSES.
CHEESE CAKE ISSUED A STATEMENT
SAYING WE WERE VERY
DISAPPOINTED THAT TWO STAFF
MEMBERS MADE DISPARAGING
REMARKS ABOUT MR. JOSEPH'S HAT
AND THAT MADE HIS FAMILY FEEL
UNWELCOME.
THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS NO
LONGER EMPLOYED WITH THE
COMPANY.
BUT THEN CHEESE CAKE IS ALSO
APPARENTLY, MATTHEW, SAYING IT
APPEARS TO BE THE INCIDENT IS
BLOWN OUT OF PROPORTION.
THERE WAS NOT A CROWD OF
WORKERS.
THERE WAS ALREADY A STAFF
MEETING GOING ON THERE.
YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT
JUST ONE ERRANT INDIVIDUAL
EMPLOYEE.
IT WAS MULTIPLE EMPLOYEES AND
SOME OF THEM ACTUALLY CAME BY,
GATHERED AROUND, AND ALSO
THERE WERE EVEN PEOPLE IN THE
KITCHEN BEHIND THE COUNTER
THERE BOOING BECAUSE OF HIS
HAT.
I MEAN, THIS IS
INAPPROPRIATE -- ON MOTHER'S
DAY OF ALL DAYS TO GO THERE
WITH A FAMILY MEAL TO ENJOY
MOTHER'S DAY AND TO HAVE
EMPLOYEES -- NOT OTHER
PATRONS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EMPLOYEES
OF CHEESECAKE FACTORY.
THEY ALSO HAVE TO DO SOME
SERIOUS RETRAINING OF THESE
INDIVIDUALS AND ALSO TAKE SOME
ACTION AGAINST, I THINK
PROBABLY MORE INDIVIDUALS THAN
THIS
THIS.
LIZ: EUGENE, DID YOU FEEL NOT
SAFE THERE?
DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WERE
THREATENED THERE.
>> I MEAN, WE GOT UP AND LEFT,
YOU KNOW?
IT WAS NOT A SAFE TERRITORY
FOR US, YOU KNOW?
MY GIRLFRIEND'S GRANDMOTHER
WAS CRYING IN TEARS.
EVERYBODY WAS JUST SAD.
WE WERE SO SHOCKED THAT ON
MOTHER'S DAY ON A FAMILY DAY,
ON CELEBRATION WE THOUGHT WE
WOULD BE ABLE TO COME AND
ENJOY A PEACEFUL DINNER WITH
FAMILY, BUT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
CHEESE CAKE FACTORY AND THE
EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS, WE WERE
SO DISREPENTED THAT WE GOT UP
AND LEFT WITHOUT CAUSING ANY
PROBLEMS
PROBLEMS.
LIZ: MATTHEW, WHAT IS YOUR
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILING?
WHAT DOES IT SAY?
BECAUSE THE APPEAL CLASS OF
DISCRIMINATION FOR HOW YOU
FEEL ABOUT A POLITICAL
LEADER.
THERE'S NO POLITICAL
DISCRIMINATION CLASS; RIGHT?
>> WELL, THERE'S NOT FOR
POLITICAL, BUT FOR CERTAINLY
ON RACE.
AND SOME OF THEM USE THE N
WORD.
OBVIOUSLY, THEY'RE REFERRING
TO HIS AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
AND FOR AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO
BE A SUPPORTER OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT
AGAIN.
COMBINING ALL OF THAT
TOGETHER, IT WAS A MIXTURE OF
POLITICS AND ETHNICITY AND
RACE.
IT'S CERTAINLY INAPPROPRIATE
FOR ANYONE TO BE TREATED LIKE
THAT IN ANY PLACE OF BUSINESS
AND FROM ALL PEOPLE, THE
EMPLOYEES NOT JUST ONE BUT
MULTIPLE EMPLOYEES.
SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH THE
MANAGEMENT IN THAT RESTAURANT
TO BE ABLE TO HIRE PEOPLE THAT
WOULD ALLOW THAT KIND OF THING
TO HAPPEN.
EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE TAKEN
ACTION, THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE
THAT KIND OF THING BEGIN IN
THE FIRST PLACE.
THIS JUST DEVISE COMMON
DECENCY TO MAKE CUSTOMERS FEEL
UNSAFE AND TO REFER TO THEM
WITH SLANG AND TO RIDICULE
THEM REGARDING THEIR POLITICAL
OR CHRISTIAN OR RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS
BELIEFS.