In a shocking event that was captured on video, Jasmine Adams experienced a brutal attack at a local Staten Island deli, leaving her deeply shaken. Despite the severity of the assault, no arrests have been made yet.
However, on Monday, Adams moved closer to seeking justice. Her attorney, Robert Brown, filed a lawsuit on her behalf in the Staten Island Supreme Court against West Brighton Deli Grocery & Grill. The lawsuit claims that Adams, who identifies as bisexual, was assaulted because the cashier incorrectly thought was transgender. This account was also confirmed by the NYPD when Adams reported the incident.
“Even if I was a transvestite, what does that have to do with anything?” Adams questioned. At the time of the assault, wore an Apple watch band decorated with the pride flag. “Why were you so comfortable putting your hands on me? I wasn’t being aggressive. I didn’t have any weapon. I was a customer.”
Although the deli employee responsible has since been fired, the store has not been helpful in identifying him, according to the police. Brown criticized the police for not publicizing the video to help locate the assailant and for conducting only a brief phone interview with Adams. The Hate Crime Task Force is looking into the case, but no investigator has yet contacted Adams, Brown said.
Adams, a mother of two and manager of a home for disabled adults, was at the deli around 11:30 p.m. on July 28 to purchase cannabis for a friend. She consulted her friend over the phone while making a $40 purchase, which the cashier misunderstood as an attempt to negotiate the price.
“I said it wasn’t about the price and that I was just trying to figure out what I was buying,” Adams clarified. “So I paid. But he sucked his teeth and got mad at me and threw the cannabis package on the floor.”
Feeling disrespected, Adams chose not to retrieve the package from the floor and instead asked for a refund.
“He said I was trying to get him fired and that he was going to call the cops,” recalled. “I said, ‘Call the cops! I just want my money back.’ Then I heard him call me a transvestite. I’m like, ‘Transvestite? I’m a whole female. I have lady parts.”
What followed was a horrifying blur. The cashier maced Adams and physically dragged her out of the store, all while hurling insults and kicking her. Bystanders outside recorded the episode on their smartphones, some visibly shocked.
“Next thing I know when I opened my eyes, I was outside next to my car on the floor,” Adams recounted. “I said to myself that I gotta get outta here because I don’t know if he’s going to kill me.”
Adams managed to drive a block away before stopping to seek help from strangers. When contacted the police after reaching her home, was told to return to the scene of the crime to file a report.
Despite Adams’ ordeal, had to wait four hours for the police to arrive when did return to the scene. Adams felt defeated and vulnerable after seeing the video of the attack, which a co-worker had found on Facebook.
“I tried to suppress what happened,” Adams confessed. “It makes you feel vulnerable. I like to believe that I’m a strong woman. To me, I wasn’t so strong. It makes me feel weak.”
Though partly blames herself for the events that unfolded, her friends and family have encouraged her to stand her ground.
“They said that what happened to you is not right and that you need to let everyone know that,” Adams said. “For me, it’s not about the money. Whatever my sexual preference is, it shouldn’t be questioned when I walk in the store.” (source)
