Lawyer For 1 Of 3 Texas Women Charged In Carmine's Brawl Says They Were Racially Discriminated Against
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There are new details surrounding the violent brawl outside of Carmine's on the Upper West Side last week.
The three Texas women arrested claim they were racially discriminated against, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported Monday.
The chaos last week seemed to be over proof of vaccination at the door, but now a lawyer for one of the women involved says the brawl was triggered by a racial slur.
It took several people to put an end to the fighting captured on cellphone video.
READ MORE: Caught On Video: Carmine's Hostess Attacked After Asking Tourists For Proof Of Vaccination
In the immediate aftermath, police charged three women from Texas with assault.
Staff at the restaurant claimed the women became unruly when they were asked to show proof of vaccination.
But now, an attorney for one of the women says that's not what happened.
"Carmine's and this hostess, they are trying to hide behind this misplaced use of the vaccine policy to justify her racist and completely outrageous actions that day," attorney Justin Moore said.
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Moore, who represents Dr. Kaeita Rankin, said the hostess used a racial slur during their exchange.
"And we know this predicament wasn't due to the vaccine. It was due to a poorly trained staff member at Carmine's who doesn't know how to deal with women of color," Moore said.
Rankin was in the city with her niece, Tyonnie, and her assistant, Sally Lewis, on business.
"They are working with a recording artist who was recording some songs in New York," Moore said.
READ MORE: NYC Restaurant Owners Sound Off On Vaccine Mandate
Carmine's now says the women did show they were vaccinated.
In a statement the restaurant said, "Three female guests in the party who had shown proof of vaccination and been welcomed into the restaurant without issue then launched an entirely unprovoked, brutal attack on our hosts, one of whom continues to suffer from a concussion."
Carmine's said the brawl happened after some men in that same group failed to show their proof of vaccination, adding, "None of the hosts -- all of whom are people of color -- uttered a racial slur."
"Now they said that this woman was Asian-American, but we know there has been a long legacy of Asian hatred towards Black people in this country," Moore said.
READ MORE: NYC Vaccine Mandate: Where And How To Show Proof Of Vaccination For Indoor Activities
In the days after, Carmine's has said it is grateful, "for all of the support from our community and the city, which has been incredibly touching for our staff."
But it has been a different story for the three women.
"The fact they're being casted as folks who are anti-vaccine, and also being casted as ignorant and Black, which is what the prevailing narrative has been. It's completely injurious to these women. On top of that, and to compound issues, they've been receiving death threats as well," Moore said.
The lawyer is calling for the charges to be dropped, which has driven some in protest and to call for Carmine's to close.
CBS2's Kevin Rincon contributed to this report.
