“This is an epidemic of the culture around Waffle House,” said Gerald Griggs, an Atlanta attorney and activist, who has been leading a series of restaurant demonstrations since May 4.
Here are five recent times that Waffle House was involved in recent arrests, violent situations and controversies:
1. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., calls for boycott of Waffle House
In late April, 25-year-old Chikesia Clemons was arrested at a restaurant in Saraland, Alabama. Video of that incident shows police officers throwing Clemons, who is black, to the ground and wrestling with her, which caused her breasts to be exposed during the scuffle. Read the full story here
A @WaffleHouse employee called the police on #ChikesiaClemons after she asked for the number for the corporate office. Ms. Clemons was violated by police. Her breasts were exposed. It barely garnered national attention. Do #BlackLivesMatter? Do #BlackWomenMatter?
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) May 10, 2018
Pat Warner, a spokesman for the chain, which has 1,900 restaurants in 25 states, including more than 400 in Georgia, said he welcomes conversations with anybody, including Griggs and King.
He also said the company has already launched extensive investigations into the two incidents and spoke directly with a woman from a third high profile incident, in which she claimed that another Alabama Waffle House intentionally locked her out.
2. VIDEO: NC teen in prom attire choked by officer at Waffle House
Police in Warsaw, North Carolina, are investigating a shocking video of a man being put in a chokehold outside of a Waffle House. Anthony Wall, 22, had taken his 16-year-old sister to her prom. Afterward they stopped at the restaurant, Wall and his sister still in their prom attire, to get something to eat, WTVD reported. He said he and the wait staff started arguing. Police were called to get Wall to leave; they placed Wall in the chokehold, slammed him and then handcuffed him, WTVD reported. Read the full story
3. WATCH: Waffle House brawl in Lima caught on camera
Last year, a video of a large fight inside a northern Ohio Waffle House got some attention on social media. The fight broke out among a large group of males and females around 3 a.m. Tuesday inside the restaurant on Neubrecht Road in Lima, according to the Allen County Sheriff's Office. Watch the video here
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
4. Waffle House shooting: Remembering the victims
Four people were killed when a nearly nude gunman, armed with an AR-15, opened fire at a Nashville, Tennessee, Waffle House in late April. Travis Reinking, is the suspected shooter, was arrested after police got a tip about a man crossing into a wooded area near the Waffle House. Read the full story
5. Dayton man punches officer at Waffle House
A Dayton man punched a Vandalia police officer in the face during an incident at the Waffle House on East National Road in March 2016. Police said Deontaye Trammell, 20, was asked to leave the restaurant on March 1 and when officers arrived he was standing in the front doorway of the business, according to an incident report. Read the full story
It hasn’t been all bad news for Waffle House.
• Waffle House servers in Ohio receive huge tip from church members: Last year, five women who work at an Ohio Waffle House received a touching Christmas surprise from members of Grand Lake United Methodist Church.
• Waffle House employee in Texas helps elderly man cut up his food: A simple gesture of kindness by a Waffle House employee in Texas has gone viral.
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