Detroit restaurant pushes back on criticisms, says threatening comments being made toward staff
DETROIT - A Detroit restaurant is pushing back on claims that it terminated an employee over a race-based comment she made.
Media reports found the employee, identified as Christine Turner, had used the term "light-skinned" which prompted a complaint from two coworkers.
But the "current narrative regarding what happened is simply not accurate" read a post from Green Dot Stables on Facebook.
"During this employee's seven shifts of employment, this individual engaged in a string of unprofessional conduct towards multiple employees of different races/national origins and sexual orientation. Despite counseling, the behavior did not change," read the post.
The business originally offered a brief response when asked about the employee and subsequent protests that started outside the restaurant in late May, saying "We respect the privacy of our employees and do not discuss personnel matters."
But since then, the business says "during our silence, there have been multiple instances of harassment and threatening comments directed to other members of our staff."
In late May, about a dozen people showed up outside the restaurant to protest Turner's firing.
They demonstrated after a flyer accused Green Dot Stables of firing a Black woman for "discriminating against" white coworkers. She allegedly told a joke about herself and used the term "light-skinned" which didn't have anything to do with white people.