Janet Sabriu planned to vote in Houston’s Spring Branch neighborhood on Thursday morning. On her way, Sabriu was on the receiving end of a racist tirade from a man who, among other things, told her: “Trump’s deporting your illegal cousins, today, b----.”
Sabriu caught some of the verbal attack on video, which she then uploaded to Facebook. As of Monday, the video has gone viral, reaching 3 million views.
The man, who seems to be white, screams insults out of the window of his car as she pulls up next to him. He accuses Sabriu of driving in two lanes. This seems to be what sets him off, as he shouts, “That’s not how we drive in America.” Within moments, he tosses the deportation threat at her.
He repeatedly calls her “ugly” and a “b----.”
Sabriu has a unique response. She asks him, in a surprisingly calm manner, if he has voted. He ignores her question entirely. ”Learn English,” he says. “It’s my country.”
The video is still getting tons of views on Facebook:
Sabriu is a citizen and has lived in Houston for nine years. Her two-year-old daughter, whom she briefly captures on camera in the video, was in the backseat during the stranger’s screamfest.
Sabriu spoke to CBS affiliate KHOU about her experience. She said she filmed the man’s outburst because it reminded her of a recent incident where a friend’s son faced hateful speech while in a restaurant. “It’s not okay, racists. It’s not okay [to allow] bullying,” she said. “We have to stop all this hate, and the only way is respecting everybody; every human being.”
She wants an apology. She also filed a police report. “Speak up. Don’t be afraid,” she told the station. “That’s the only way that we can stop all this hate is just showing and exposing the people because I think the majority (are) good people that don’t want this to continue.”
The man identified himself as Kevin to ABC affiliate KTRK News, and has since come forward to apologize. He claims he has received death threats since the video went viral. He also said he lives with bipolar disorder, saying, “It’s very real, it’s not a joke, it’s not an excuse.”
“All I want to say to her is, ‘Miss, I’m so sorry, I hope you can understand more, and I wish you nothing more than love and happiness for your family,’ ” Kevin told KTRK.
Sabriu hopes her video will encourage others to record those who hurl racism and hate-speech in their direction.
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