We have previously discussed the issue of when it is appropriate to punishment people for conduct outside of the work place. We have followed cases where people have been fired after boorish or insulting conduct once their names and employers are made known. (here andhere and here and here and here). There is another such case out of California with a twist. Rebecca Mankey created a scene at a Starbucks by screaming at s 74-year-old man wearing a “Make American Great Again” hat in support of President Trump. Mankey posted the instant and said that she wanted to get him kicked out of every club and make his life a living hell. Instead, she was fired by her own employer for her rude and intolerant conduct.
Mankey spotted the man and his hat and started screaming at him and, according to the man, yelled “‘Hey, everybody come here! This guy’s a racist! This guy hates brown people!’” The man, identified only as Victor, said that she also called him a Nazi. He is in fact Jewish.
In a Facebook posting, Mankey not only identified herself but asked for people who see him to “please confront him.” She added
“I yelled at him. Called the entire Starbucks to order and yelled at him more about how it’s not okay to hate brown people…I called him more names and told him to call the police…He wouldn’t call the police so I called him a wimp, He got his stuff together to leave. I followed him to the register while he complained about me. Then chased him out of Starbucks yelling at him to get the f— out of my town.”
She added later that she was “going to publicly shame him in town and try to get him fired and kicked out of every club he is in.”
It did not exactly work out that way. Her employer at Gryphon Strings, a guitar sales and repair shop, learned of the controversy and fired her for her disgraceful conduct. The company noted “Gryphon does not believe anyone should be harassed or subject to hate speech no matter their beliefs.”
This case is a little different from our earlier controversies where people were fired for their political associations or statements. Here Mankey was seem effectively stalking a person because he held opposing political views. Nevertheless, it is another example of the “little brother” problem that we have discussed.
According to KTVU , Richard Johnston confirmed hat Mankey has worked at the store as an office manager for four years.