San Francisco Tech CEO Goes on Disgraceful Racist Rant in Restaurant

Unfortunately, while the recent protests in the United States have sparked nationwide calls for racial equality, they haven’t stopped racist incidents like this one from occurring on a daily basis. This video, taken at Lucia Restaurant & Bar in Carmel Valley, CA, on July 4, shows a man yelling profanities at a family.

The man, Michael Lofthouse, is the CEO of tech company Solid8. Lofthouse uttered several derogatory remarks directed at the family, some of which were not captured on video. According to Jordan Chan, who recorded the incident and posted it on Instagram, “We were celebrating my tita’s birthday, literally just singing happy birthday to her and taking pictures, when this white supremacist starts yelling disgusting racist remarks at us.”

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❗️❗️❗️SHARE THIS POST❗️❗️❗️ Trigger warning: Racism, Vulgar Language (FYI he had a LOT more to say after I stopped recording) This is the face of the man who relentlessly harassed my family and I completely UNPROVOKED, UNWARRANTED, and UNCONSCIONABLE. We were celebrating my tita’s birthday, literally just singing happy birthday to her and taking pictures, when this white supremacist starts yelling disgusting racist remarks at us. (“Fuck you Asians” “Go back to whatever fucking Asian country you’re from” “You don’t belong here”) It is no coincidence that this man has the audacity to showcase such blatant racism on the 4th of July. White supremacy has a notorious habit of masquerading as patriotism! The fact that Donald Trump is our president (i.e. THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD) gives racists a platform and amplifies voices of hate. The surfacing of racists is so prevalent right now, even in such an ethnically/culturally diverse and liberal state like California, because Trump HIMSELF uses his position to incite racial tension and to promote aggression towards POC, foreigners, and immigrants. We need change! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VOTE THIS UPCOMING RE-ELECTION. PROTECT ALL PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF SKIN COLOR AND ETHNIC ORIGIN. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿

A post shared by @ jordanlizchan on Jul 5, 2020 at 3:02pm PDT

Following the incident, a server at the restaurant ordered Lofthouse to leave, saying, “Get out. You are not allowed here. You do not talk to our guests like that.”

Sean Damery, vice president and general manager of the Bernardus Lodge & Spa, where the restaurant is located, said, “This is an extremely unfortunate situation, however we are proud of our staff at Lucia in keeping with Bernardus Lodge’s core values; this incident was handled swiftly and the diner was escorted off property without further escalation. We provide guests with a safe environment for lodging and dining, and extend our sincere apologies to the guests enjoying a birthday celebration on a holiday weekend.”

After the incident, Lofthouse issued the following statement: “My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments. I would like to deeply apologize to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day.”