“Go back to India. You curry-assed people are ruining this country,” Mexican American hurls unprovoked racial slurs
While reportage of racism in America is something that is not too rare to hear of but when incidents of outright racial profiling occur in big cities known for their diversity, one does wonder if the bias is more common than we know of. In Plano, a suburban city near Dallas that has a considerable population of Indian Americans, an incident of racism has once again opened the debate.
In a video that has now gone viral on social media, a woman who identifies herself as Mexican American can be heard shouting racist slurs on a group of Indian American women, who were returning after a quiet dinner in their neighborhood.
Dallas residents Rani Banerjee, Bidisha Rudra, Sabori Saha and Anamika Chatterjee were just coming out from eatery Sixty Vines after dinner. As they were chatting in the parking lot, a woman came out of nowhere to hurl abusive slurs at them – all of this totally unprovoked.
Read: Indian American lawmaker Pramila Jayapal faces racist attack (July 14, 2022)
The woman, now identified as Esmeralda Upton, also from Plano, Texas can be heard shouting, “I hate you f….g Indians. Oh these f****** Indians! They come to America because they want a better life. They obviously are not leading a great life in India.”
When the group of women objects on why she was bothering them when they are minding their business, she does not hold herself back.
She shouts some more and goes on to say, “You come here from India and want everything free.”
“I am a Mexican-American. I was born here. Were you born here?” the woman said.”
When a woman replies what makes her think that they are not Americans, she says, “Because of the way you speak.” She can also be heard saying, “Everywhere I f****** go, you Indians are f****** everywhere.”
“If life is so great in India, then why the f*** you are all here?” the woman asked. “Turn the f****** camera and I am happy to talk. Turn it off.”
She then goes on to assault one of the Indian-American women in the group in what appears to be an attempt to snatch the mobile phone.
The Mexican American woman has since been arrested on a charge of assault causing bodily injury and a charge of terroristic threats and is being held on $10,000 bond.
One of the victims, Bidisha Rudra, wrote on her Facebook page, “Four friends who were spending a nice evening in a free democratic country with rule of law were verbally abused using racial slurs and thereafter, threatened and body shamed by a complete stranger.”
Read: NY Sikh taxi driver punched, told to ‘go back to your country’ (January 13, 2022)
“We feared for our lives because she was extremely agitated and seemed totally out of control. We called cops who came in time and diffused the situation.”
“Is this a way to live in a free civil society?????? Watch the video and judge for yourself,” she wrote. “Finally, do not be quiet about this. Racists and bigots have no place in my country, my America.”
Rani Banerjee, also posted on her Facebook, “Dinner with friends ended with a frightening experience. As we left Sixty Vines, Plano and headed towards our cars, an angry, drunk woman came at us with hateful racial slurs and even physically attacked us. We called 911 and thankfully the cops arrived in minutes.”
“I have lived in DFW for 29 years and never have I felt so humiliated, threatened, and scared for my life. Can’t believe this is what America has become,” Banerjee added.
The matter is under investigation. The women maintain that police arrived on the scene within minutes of calling 911.
Rudra, who has been regularly updating on the incident, also wrote on her Facebook page, “An update on last night’s incident: Officer Andre Smith from Plano Texas Police Department called me just now.”
“It’s comforting that the officer who is in charge of communications and media relations is taking this case seriously. He further mentioned that he and the others in Plano Police Department are also offended by this racially motivated verbal abuse and physical assault.
“He further said that a detective will be assigned to this case soon to fully investigate the incident and take appropriate action as required by the law. I am glad that law enforcement is acting promptly and taking this seriously. I will send an update as and when I get more information,” she wrote.