A Taco Bell employee in Phenix City, Ala. was fired after she reportedly refused to service two Sheriff's deputies and asked them to leave the establishment.
According to WTVM, two Lee County Sheriff's deputies entered the local Taco Bell on Saturday, dressed in their uniforms, and quickly became the object of irrational hatred.
A Facebook post by Tammy Bush Mayo, whose husband is a colleague of the two men who were denied service, described the scene.
“My husband is a Deputy Sheriff in Lee County, Alabama and tonight a Deputy on his shift went into Taco Bell in Phenix City, AL and was told that they don't serve cops. A lady waiting for her food spoke up to say that she was about to ask for a refund because she didn't want to eat somewhere with a cop,” she said.
Another customer in the store allegedly had the nerve to say that she was glad the cashier wasn’t serving cops because she would not eat there if they had been served.
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones confirmed the incident with multiple sources. According to Lee, the deputies asked the employee if she was joking about not serving cops. She allegedly responded, “No, I’m not serving you.”
Jones released a statement saying:
I'm very disappointed that simply because they were uniformed law enforcement officers that our deputies were treated in such negative fashion. We pride ourselves in giving people basic respect and only ask the same in return.
I am inclined to believe that this was the attitude of one employee and not the policy of the management. The fair thing is to give them an opportunity to respond.
We won't base our opinion of Taco Bell on one employee's negative action any more than the general public should base their opinion of law enforcement on the negative action of one officer.
If only that employee and the anonymous customer were as sensible as this police department.
A spokesperson for Taco Bell, Laura Nedbal, told the Opelika-Auburn News, “Taco Bell and Tacala, the franchise owner of the Phenix City Taco Bell, in no way endorse this sentiment. We are deeply appreciative of the men and women who have taken the oath to serve and protect our communities.”
Nedbal also told the Opelika-Auburn News, “In the course of the investigation at the Taco Bell in Phenix City, Tacala, the franchise owner of that location, has terminated the employee who refused service to two Lee County Deputies on July 16th.”
She added, “Tacala has contacted the Lee County Sheriff’s Department to apologize directly to the two deputies and assure them of their ongoing support of law enforcement.”
Jones said he “appreciated” Taco Bell reaching out to apologize, saying, “They wanted to make sure we understand anything like that would not be condoned by Taco Bell management and that they are staunch supporters of law enforcement.”
There has been a spike in hatred towards cops after the deaths of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. The hatred of cops has manifested in shootings that targeted cops in Baton Rouge this past weekend and In Dallas two weeks ago.
Even if the hatred has not turned violent, there have been a myriad of other acts of hatred aimed at cops, such as sabotaging their food or avoiding them in public. Hopefully, communities will begin to show more support for their police force and stop treating them as enemies.