Woman's shaming of elderly man wearing MAGA Hat backfires

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A California accountant’s attempt to shame an elderly Trump supporter backfired.

On Monday, Palo Alto local Rebecca Parker Mankey told her followers on Facebook that she reamed out a 74-year-old man, reportedly named Victor F., at Starbucks for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat

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“Anybody in Palo Alto knows this freak,” Mankey wrote alongside photos of the man. “He was sitting in Starbucks. I think he lives in Palo Alto. He will never forget me and will think seriously about wearing that hat in my town ever again. If you see him in this hat, please confront him. You do not want to be the person who didn’t speak up as we slipped into fascism.”

She continued, “I yelled at him. Called the entire Starbucks to order and yelled at him more about how it is not ok to hate brown people. He threatened to call the cops. I left after yelling at him some more.”

After her lunch break, Mankey said she returned to Starbucks. “I went back in and yelled that I had changed my mind and wanted him to call the police because I wanted to know his name, where he lived, his wife’s name, and where his kids went to school,” she wrote.

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On Wednesday, Victor told  KPIX CBS,  “This crazy woman came over and started raving at me. She turned to the rest of Starbucks and said, ‘Hey everybody, here’s this racist over here. He hates brown people, he’s crazy, he’s a Nazi,’ and so forth.” Victor wears a yarmulke under his MAGA hat.

Mankey and her husband closed down their Facebook pages. On Tuesday, Gryphon Stringed Instruments, where Mankey worked as an accountant, wrote, “We would like to make it clear that we do not condone harassment or hate speech of any kind. We are currently addressing the matter internally. Thank you for your concern.”

Later, the store added, “The employee in question has been terminated. Gryphon does not believe anyone should be harassed or subject to hate speech no matter their beliefs. Music has historically been something that has brought people of diverse socio-political backgrounds together.”

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On Tuesday, an organization called Bayshore Progressive Democrats, reportedly co-chairedby Mankey, said she and her family were getting death threats. “Parker felt strongly that she wanted to use her privilege as a white woman to stand up for those who are living in fear because of the hateful atmosphere fostered by Trump,” read a website statement. “Unfortunately, the manner in which she chose to stand up against a slogan that stands for racism led to an even stronger hateful response that has endangered her and her family.” 

Mankey resigned from the organization the next day. “Earlier today, the officers of the Bayshore Progressive Democrats (BPD) received and accepted Parker Mankey’s resignation as co-chair, officer, and member of our organization,” according to another statement. “From the standpoint of BPD, this matter is now closed. Bayshore Progressive Democrats seeks a world that works for everyone, where all humans have a chance to realize their full potential and to live lives of dignity. Harassment and abuse are inconsistent with these values, and we reject the use of such tactics in civil society.”

A Starbucks representative tells Yahoo Lifestyle that employees at the California Avenue location weren’t aware of the incident until both Mankey and Victor left.

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