Pinole Mayor Cameron Sasai condemned hate speech after a viral video showed a woman repeatedly calling another woman the “N-word” during an argument in his city.
The video shows a woman in a blue car engaged in a heated argument with a woman standing outside of the car in the parking lot near Pear Street Bistro, a restaurant at the corner of San Pablo and Fernandez avenues. The incident reportedly occurred over the weekend. During the exchange, the woman who was using the N word insulted the other woman’s “fake eyelashes” while telling her to get out of her face.
KTVU (Ch. 2), which broke the story, said police are investigating the verbal exchange as a hate incident.
It wasn’t clear what led up to the argument between the women.
Mayor Sasai condemned the language used in the video and reaffirmed the city’s commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all residents.
“We as a City Council have time and time again been very upfront about the fact that we condemn any sort of hate in our community in any form,” the mayor stated. “If you have any sort of inclination to say those things… please do not come here to Pinole. It is not welcome.”
The mayor expressed gratitude for the Pinole Police Department’s attention to the incident. He also recommended community members consider using visiting the California vs. Hate website for resources on how to report hate crimes.
Richmond NAACP chapter President Willie Robinson also spoke out about the incident, saying the use of racial slurs “is never acceptable.”
