New Jersey black woman asks for her bagel to be toasted. Then the Deli staff allegedly calls her a ‘hyena’: ‘He got so angry’
A deli worker allegedly calls a Black customer a 'Hyena' and she heads straight to social media.
A New Jersey woman’s hostile interaction in a deli has gone viral, sparking conversations about race, customer service, and the difference of experience in Bergen County. Dee, (@ariellaja) a Black woman on TikTok, asked her followers for help identifying a worker at a local deli. In her account, she says that the man in question called her a “Hyena” and no one who worked there did anything when she talked to the manager.
Everything started when she made a trip to Teaneck Road Hot Bagels to grab her snack. After ordering, Dee forgot to mention that she wanted her bagel toasted. Upon hearing her request, the TikToker says that the man got visibly angry and called her a “m**********” and a “Hyena” before stepping aside. Then, Dee talked to the store manager who seemed confused by the entire situation. (The video shows the man in an apron with both of his hands up, sporting a puzzled expression.) “The store manager didn’t even try to correct his worker,” she recalled.
Her video claims that the store manager did nothing to address the insults. Now, she’s asking the audience for help in identifying the man she features near the top. Dee said, “TikTok, help me find this racist piece of scum right here.” Folks from all over New Jersey are weighing-in. And, one commenter from California named Pam noted how far this story reached, saying, “I hate how everyone is downplaying your experience.” There are so many ways that a bagel can go bad, but this is a unique example.
Dee is looking for the man who called her a “Hyena”
While a lot of the comments are supportive, there are some people denigrating Dee’s race or experience. This reflects some recent trends in the United States electorate. Just this week, the United States Department of Education reversed course on longstanding diversity initiatives aimed at reducing race-based incidents at schools. The Department is trying to move away from inclusion policies, citing an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in the spring of last year.
In a letter released on their website, The Department of Education argues, “Further, a school’s decision to change its discipline policies with the purpose of avoiding or reducing racial disparities in discipline constitutes race discrimination. In such a circumstance, ‘race played a role in a decision made by’ the school. While it is not race discrimination under Title VI for a school to design its discipline policies to ensure they are fair to all students regardless of race, it is race discrimination under Title VI for the school to evaluate the racial outcomes of their discipline policies and to make decisions based on or because of those racial outcomes.”
As more workplaces adjust to the current climate of businesses and governmental bodies in the United States, citizens have seen a rise in incidents like the one Dee experienced. Teaneck Road Hot Bagels has not suffered any real repercussions from law enforcement or any other authoritative body. Although some customers have left negative reviews on their social media storefronts. No one has identified the man in at this time.
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