We'd hire him if we could! A former employee of Burgerfi in Florida says he was terminated from his job after he fought back against a customer that called him a homophobic slur.
The fight between customers and one of the restaurant’s employees was captured on video on June 28.
The video shows multiple homophobic slurs yelled at 24-year-old Jaquan Walker, who was working as a cashier.
Walker said when he was trying to take their order, the men said several offensive things towards him, leading to the altercation.
“They tell me that I need to put bass in my voice,” he said. “They was saying [expletive]. They just said a whole bunch things. ‘Oh, we’re going to kill you. Oh, we’ll beat you up. You’re gay. You shouldn’t be gay. How tall are you?'”
Walker said he backed away, but words were exchanged and when he later entered the dining area, he was jumped.
Miami Beach Police describe the incident on the report as an “anti-gay battery.”
“I had scars on my neck. My arm was bruised,” Walker said. “I still have pain on the side of my ribs, and I have cuts inside my mouth from them kicking me in my mouth and things.”
The men could be seen starting to walk out, and thats when Walker threw a chair at his attackers.
“I was so mad. I was embarrassed,” Walker said.
Walker then walked over to Miami Beach Police headquarters after the men left the restaurant, where he filed a criminal complaint.
Shortly after filing his complaint, he was fired.
When asked how it was to have to deal with homophobic customers, Walker said, “It makes me feel bad. I come to work. I work. I mind my business. I don’t mess with nobody. I was a good worker. I was always there on time. It’s scary because you never know how far it can go.”
The 24-year-old added it is hard to get a job amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Police are searching for at least two men involved in the battery.
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