Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 16:53 25 Jun 2020 GMT
A black woman has recorded the moment a white woman in Manhattan launched into a disturbing racist rant, repeatedly calling her the 'n-word' and an "ape".
The disgusting encounter was recorded by Yale PhD student Kathryn Graves, 27, who told the New York Post that she was walking in Midtown while wearing her Black Lives Matter t-shirt Saturday afternoon. Graves says the woman just started shouting at her, causing her to slow down and turn down the music playing through her headphones.
Realizing that it would be best to record the woman rather than retaliate, Graves starting filming the vile verbal attack on her cell phone.
The unedited footage can be seen below. WARNING - The video contains expletives and slurs that some people will find upsetting:
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In the video, the unidentified woman starts shouting: "Obama’s f***ing d**k right next to his ape f***ing wife."
The white woman - who can be seen clutching onto a case of Natural Ice beer with both hands - then starts imitating monkey noises at the Brown University graduate, as she repeatedly calls her a "n***** ape".
She then says to Graves - who has bright pink hair: "What's the matter, you got time to do your f***ing pink a** f***ing hair, you n***** Obama f***ing ape."
The woman then crosses the street, as Graves - who remained calm throughout the encounter - shouts back, repeating: "You're gonna lose your job!"
After uploading the footage to social media, Graves spoke to The Post about the ordeal. The psychology student said: "I kind of blocked off how hurtful the words were and more was just thinking pragmatically.
"Before I even started to emotionally process what was going on, I just knew I had to record it", she added, saying she was trying to "figure out what to do if she tries to attack me."
Graves said that she did fear the woman may have been concealing a weapon.
The student added that she did nothing to provoke the attack, saying: "I recorded her and she just went off […] there was nothing on my end that preempted this, other than me being there.
"I have never [before] had someone just spew hatred in my face."
It wasn't until after the incident that Graves - who was wearing a facemask - also considered the danger of the coronavirus, with the woman not wearing a face covering.
Graves was also left dishearted by the number of people who walked past but did not intervene.
"She was speaking pretty loudly, it was very clear what she was saying, and the idea that […] no one felt the need to intervene at all - that really bothers me a lot," she said.
The student also says that she believes the video shines a spotlight on the fact that it is not enough for Americans to just be "non-racist".
"You must be actively anti-racist - it’s not enough to just not be racist," she urged.
After sharing the video with the NYPD, officers believe the woman may have been involved in a similar attack on another member of the public.
However, Graves did says that see doesn't want to see the woman "locked up", and would rather see her receive "mental health treatment" - all the while stressing that "racism is not a symptom" of mental illness.
Grave also believes that if not addressed, the woman could pose "a risk to public safety".
"If her hands had been empty she could have hit me. It could escalate at some point," Graves warned, adding: "If nothing happens, this woman could be dangerous."
