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| Michael Lofthouse responded to being video recorded. |
Visiting the Carmel Valley near Monterey, California, the family was at the Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia restaurant to celebrate his wife Mari’s special day.
“We were having fun, playing games and when we were having dessert, suddenly, we hear somebody behind us yelling, ‘You f---ing Asians,” Raymond Orosa told the Asian Journal.
"We were shocked. All I could say was, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ because I didn’t want to react in a manner that could trigger something. I didn’t know how violent he could be and didn’t want to jeopardize the safety of my family,” Orosa said.
Jordan Chan, a niece of the celebrant and who was recording the celebration turned her cellphone to the interloper who continued his racist rant.
“Trump’s going to f*ck you. You f*ckers need to leave,” the man can be heard saying on video posted on Instagram. “F*cking Asian people sh*t.”
A restaurant employee can later be seen coming to the aid of the Asian-American family. The waitress can be seen saying “You do not talk to our guests like that! They are valued guests. Get out!” She later escorted Lofthouse off the premises.
Within hours after posting the video, netizens identified the man as Michael Lofthouse, CEO of a tecch company Solid8 based in San Francisco. Social media users began bombing the company website.
Unfortunately, a good portion of the virtual bombs went to a company based in London that used the same name.
Lofthouse deleted his social media accounts and Twitter suspended his account.
Lofthouse issued a statement to a local ABC affiliate “My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments. I would like to deeply apologize to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day.”
“It is no coincidence that this man has the audacity to showcase such blatant racism on the 4th of July. White supremacy has a notorious habit of masquerading as patriotism!” Chan wrote in the Instagram post with the video that went viral.
Attacks against Asians have risen sharply because some people blame them for the spread of the coronavirus. The incidents have been fueld by the racist rhetoric coming out the White House and the insistence of Donald Trump and his staff to refer the coronavirus as the "China virus" "Wuhan virus" and the "kung flu."
Recent data from the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center showed that over 2000 incidents of discrimination and hate against Asians have been reported nationwide, 832 in California alone.
“Despite the fact that racism still exists, it shouldn’t stop us from doing the right thing,” Orosa said. “If we have one unified voice and speak up, the better it is for people to understand that we can do this and protect each other from people like this guy, Michael.”
“Despite the fact that racism still exists, it shouldn’t stop us from doing the right thing,” Orosa said. “If we have one unified voice and speak up, the better it is for people to understand that we can do this and protect each other from people like this guy, Michael.”
“The fact that Donald Trump is our president (i.e. THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD) gives racists a platform and amplifies voices of hate," Chan wrote on her Instagram posting. "The surfacing of racists is so prevalent right now, even in such an ethnically/culturally diverse and liberal state like California, because Trump HIMSELF uses his position to incite racial tension and to promote aggression towards POC, foreigners, and immigrants. We need change!” Chan continued in her post, encouraging people to vote in November."
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