Mayor apologizes to racist rantvictims

Men frustrated by response from police, Denny’s

The men recently subjected to a racially charged confrontation at a local Denny’s have received an apology in person from the Mayor of Lethbridge — but say they are growing frustrated by the handling of the issue by city police.

Two video recordings of an incident which occurred in the early morning hours of April 21 went viral on social media last week.

The videos show a woman identified as Cranbrook resident Kelly Pocha using racially charged language and threatening four men seated at a table beside hers. A decision was made by Denny’s staff to kick both parties out of the restaurant, while police were on scene to ensure things ended peacefully.

Mayor Chris Spearman met with the men Friday afternoon in order to express an apology for their experience.

“I just wanted to make them feel confident that most people in this city are not like what they experienced,” Spearman said.

Spearman said the men told him they love living in Lethbridge.

“All four of them said this is a wonderful city, and they have no regrets,” he said.

On Monday, Monir Omerzai, one of the men at the table who was verbally attacked by Pocha and the person who made one of the recordings of the event, said while the meeting with the mayor went well, he has been unhappy with the response from both Lethbridge Police Service and Denny’s.

“Everybody apologizes,” he said. “But how are we going to take action toward the situation?”

“I talked to the mayor and I wanted some answers from him,” said Omerzai. “He said he was going to contact the police and get back to me.

“But they haven’t gotten back to me. They haven’t said anything about it.

“That kind of bothers me. I do not want to just leave it like that.”

Omerzai said he believes the police are not taking the issue seriously.

“How long is this investigation going to take?”

During a city council meeting on Monday, Spearman referred to the incident as “a difficult situation.”

He said his meeting with the men went very well.

“It’s interesting. Three of them have been here for 13 years,” he said.

“Three of them have their own businesses and employ people here in Lethbridge. It’s a testament to what happens when some people come from a struggling country and background, and come to our city, and suddenly they have a bright future.

“And they not only create a bright future for themselves, but they create a bright future for other people who live here by providing employment.”

“The success stories in our community are ones we should treasure and continue to promote.

“We need to continue to ensure that everyone has the same rates of success. Not just opportunities, but outcomes. We need to ensure everybody is succeeding at the same rate regardless of their background.”

Omerzai said he explained the issues he is having with the handling of the situation to the mayor during their meeting, and that Spearman appeared receptive to their concerns.

But he still has not heard a good reason why he and his friends were kicked out of the restaurant that evening.

“We were not causing the scene,” he said. “We were not causing the problem.

“Why didn’t the police take action and investigate right away? That was their job.”

Omerzai said he and his friends are looking into the possibility of enlisting the services of a lawyer in order to help them get the answers they are looking for.

“I feel horrible about this situation,” he said. “It makes me feel disgusted.

“We want to see action. We want to see results right away.”

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