A 75-year-old Black woman died after a physical confrontation with Tim Hortons employees in Fort Wayne, Indiana, earlier this month. Because video footage shows both the elderly woman and the younger, noticeably whiter employee displaying what some might interpret as aggressive behavior, online commentators with racist views quickly concluded that the woman somehow deserved what happened, seemingly forgetting the fragility and humanity inherent in old age.
Let’s get into it…
On Wednesday, Tim Hortons’ corporate office issued a statement to WANE 15 confirming that the store where the incident occurred two weeks ago is currently closed, with plans to reopen in due course. The statement came after a security guard told the station he was stationed outside the location to protect it from protesters and vandalism. Meanwhile, the death of 75-year-old Anita Grayson remains under review by the Allen County Prosecutor, and no cause of death has been determined yet.
According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, on May 13 Grayson entered the establishment to lodge a complaint about her drive-thru order. The police contend that she then began arguing and “berating” a 17-year-old employee. The video evidence shows Grayson involved in a heated exchange with the teen, who appears to give a light shove, prompting Grayson to shove back. Grayson is then seen striking the teen in the face, which prompts the teen to strike back until Grayson falls to the ground, where it seems the other employees also become involved, though the exact actions of the other staff members are not clearly depicted in the footage.
Content Warning: The following video is violent and disturbing.
Now, people can argue back and forth all day about who hit whom first and whether Grayson was truly in the wrong, but anyone who is honest knows that if the victim had been a small, white elderly woman who died shortly after a brutal beating the way Grayson did, the public reaction would be markedly different:
“Chimp.” “Black fatigue.” “Ghetto.” These were the immediate labels hurled by bigots who had just watched an elderly woman be mercilessly beaten for what was at most a light shove that could not have seriously hurt the teenager.
Understand that even if Grayson had initiated the confrontation, her race would bear no connection to the incident. We have all seen numerous videos of white women behaving badly, sometimes turning physically violent. And those videos often include audio that reveals what was said, something the Tim Hortons clip does not provide.
Yet in this case, there isn’t a chorus of white voices asking, “What happened before the cameras started rolling?” There aren’t endless excuses for why the elder woman might have been understandably upset. Instead, white spectators saw a Black woman and immediately accused Grayson of “chimping out.”
Nevertheless, Fort Wayne police stated last week that releasing the video was in the public interest because social-media chatter was feeding “a dangerously false narrative.”
“FWPD initially released limited information about this case out of respect for Ms. Grayson’s family and to avoid causing additional distress following the tragic loss of a loved one,” the department wrote in a press release, per WANE. “However, a dangerously false narrative, along with poor-quality video circulating publicly, has led to significant public concern and misinformation. For that reason, and because it is in the public interest, FWPD is releasing the facts of the case along with a clear and complete video of the events that occurred inside Tim Hortons.”
According to the Allen County Coroner’s Office, the final autopsy report on Grayson is expected to be completed in 6–8 weeks, though the coroner’s office noted that it is not a “releasable report.”
Meanwhile, renowned civil attorney Ben Crump announced on Friday that he has been retained by Grayson’s family.
Crump issued the following statement in a press release:
“Anita Grayson was a 75-year-old mother, and her family is grieving a sudden and painful loss. They have urgent questions about how a visit to a neighborhood coffee shop ended with the loss of their loved one, and they deserve clear, complete, and timely answers. We have been retained to stand with the Grayson family to ensure their voice is part of this process and to guarantee that this investigation is thorough and fair. Our focus is on supporting this family and on making sure the truth is established.”
