Racial tension, social media outrage and apologies in TT

SOCIAL media has been heavy for the past few weeks owing to the racial tension and protests in the US after the death of George Floyd. But locally, last week, it was one filled with what many users called “public relations fails” and the owners of major businesses “showing their true colours.”

It was almost like a domino effect.

It began with businessman Michael Patrick Aboud. Last Sunday, he posted to Facebook: “Burning and looting is not protest for any good. They use the Floyd matter to do what comes natural. An excuse!”

Social media users took umbrage to the “comes natural” part of the post and the use of “they.” Screenshots began circulating on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with disapproving comments. Most believed he was saying looting and burning were “natural instincts” for black people.

He later apologised but said his post was “completely misinterpreted.”
“I’m saying this with the utmost of sincerity, it was never meant or worded as a racial slur.
“But maybe it could of (sic) been communicated better. What I meant was that looting, rioting, assaults, innocent lives damaged, anarchy is not the answer or solution to any problem, the economy and lives that are affected would be your own.”
Following this was Dianne’s Tea Shop. On Tuesday, the business posted a picture of a slice of cake with the words “All Lives Matter” written in chocolate on the plate, along with four forks.

This caused several users to call for a boycott of the business.
Dianne Hunt – the owner – later apologised saying she had not known the negative connotation of the phrase.

The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman – the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in the US, who was unarmed and wearing a hoodie.

“I would like to apologise for my unawareness that 'all lives matter' was contradictory to Black Lives Matter,” Hunt told Newsday.
But things seemed to get worse after her apology as she was quoted in a Newsday article as saying, “My waitress wrote it. It was a Black girl who wrote it.”

Users felt it was her equivalent of “I have black friends so I can’t be racist.”
But posts by yet another businessperson took most of the attention away from Hunt.
Businessman Gerald Aboud posted to Facebook saying, “If someone wants to say ‘All lives matter,’ they have that right to say it. Just like you can say black lives matter…Venezuelans starving in Venezuela, Syrians suffering all over the world. Make sure and march for them too!”

Aboud is the owner of Starlite Pharmacy, Starlite Shopping Plaza and Nova Coffee. After these posts, he too began to feel the brunt of social media backlash. Later on, he likened racism to “having an opinion.

“If I don’t like Chinese people, you can’t force me to like Chinese people. I may have my reasons and I am entitled to that. Many people have been oppressed over time and none of it should be tolerated. Black people, I will say this: We see your plight and we feel for you – all of you. We really do. However, what you need to do is rise up from that state of mind, that is all I can say.”

He continued, “Every time you go steal a sneakers (sic) and do some s--- regardless, you make that much worse for yourselves. Killing your people every day, does black lives matter then? Rise up and work towards improvement. The world will never be a fair place and it is only what you do that matters in this world.”

This only worsened the outrage and, as done to Hunt, many began calling for a boycott of all his businesses. Some even began to share a 2018 article in which he had apologised for calling Indian Arrival Day and Corpus Christi “two stupid holidays.”
He too apologised in a media release posted to his pharmacy’s social media pages. He said, about people calling him a racist, “nothing can be farther from the truth.” He said he supports all lives and it is “in his nature” to do so.

“One should not judge a person by his opinion on a matter that he sought to defend someone, but rather by his actions. My actions over my life have shown only equality and fairness and those who know me will stand by that.”
He said the Starlite franchise has been a symbol of love and that it has “done a great deal” to help build communities.

He continued, “No man is perfect. In my haste to defend a friend, my comments were seen as aggravating and racist and for that, I am sorry. We stand united in the support of #BLM. #BlackLivesMatter.”
And on Friday, a video of him apologising also began circulating. He said he "hurt a lot of people" and his comments were "insensitive, ill-timed and ignorant.
"I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me," he pleaded.
Also on Tuesday, local bakery Bakery Treatz posted an image with a quote from late Persian poet Rumi: We are born of love. Love is our mother. The caption was “Every life matters.”

The post was deleted a few minutes later after users began reacting angrily and sharing disapproving views. The business posted nothing else about this and did not issue a public apology.

The trend continued as former Pepper Advertising copywriter and account executive Sunil Ramdeen – who is the son of its founder and the chairman of NAMDEVCO (National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation) Dennis Ramdeen – made some controversial Facebook posts.

On Tuesday, people were encouraged to post black squares on their social media profiles to show solidarity with the fight against police killing black people in the US – in line with the Black Lives Matter movement.

But on Wednesday, the younger Ramdeen instead posted a white image with the caption “#WhiteoutWednesday #AllLivesMatter.”
One user commented saying he should refrain from making such jokes, to which he replied, I’m not joking. If people can’t accept opposing viewpoints them f--- ‘em. I know who I am.”

After screenshots began circulating, his father commented saying he loves his son but they do not share the same views on politics and “many other areas.” He said the company would issue a release soon.

It turned out Sunil had forgotten to update his information on Facebook and has not been an employee at the company since March after moving to Canada.
After being alerted of the screenshots and asked if it was really him, he commented, “It’s me. Grab your torches and pitchforks.”

His father posted using the company’s official Facebook page to apologise to the public.
“I am deeply disappointed and saddened by the insensitive content recently posted by my son and former employee, Sunil Ramdeen. Our company has zero tolerance for racism and I can confidently state these sentiments are not shared by myself, Pepper, our employees, or any of our clients.

“I have always stood against racism or discriminatory behavior in all aspects of my life and will continue to do so.”
The posts did not only come from businesses but also a politician. Fuad Abu Bakr, leader of the New National Vision party, also posted #AllLivesMatter, adding that the public should “protest by lying on the floor. We can’t breathe. Stop police abuse and killings #AllLivesMatter.”

But in response to his call to lie down on the floor, one user said they had to do the same when they were stopped on their way home from work after curfew hours during the 1990 attempted coup by his father Yasin Abu Bakr and the Jamaat al Muslimeen.
The younger Abu Bakr told Newsday he used "All Lives Matter" to locally contextualise and raise awareness of extrajudicial killings of Trinidadians by the police. He used "All Lives Matter" as most of the TT population are “mostly black” and there’s a problem with police killings in this country.

In addition, former national footballer Chris Birchall, on Friday, tweeted, "Yes Black lives matter of course they do, but am I allowed to write White lives matter, Asian lives matter, Indian lives matter #AllLivesMatter."

He, too, apologised after backlash, saying it was “misinterpreted.” It also received disapproving and disappointed feedback from former national captain Kenwyne Jones.
Birchall, who was a member of the 2006 TT World Cup team, said, "I apologise if people were offended by my tweet. It was a tweet saying everyone matters. Regardless of race, regardless of colour, regardless of religion. My best friends are different races. I hate racism and wish everyone got treated equal but don’t turn that into a racist comment."
President of the TT Public Relations Association Nicole Duke-Westfield told Newsday, now more than ever people are observing how easy it is for someone to destroy their individual brand or that of their company.

“I think that people need to recognise how raw this issue is right now. It is happening before our eyes; it’s unveiling before our very eyes. And because it is so highly-charged, because it’s such a raw situation – and there’s pain. It’s a painful situation.
“We have to respect that this is a live and raw situation right now. We have to recognise that we must be careful not to add fuel to an already burning fire and I think, too, that if you are a responsible person, you also have to ask yourself, ‘Is my message one of healing, or is it going to be the opposite?’
She said people are hurting and companies should try to be mindful of that.