LIMA, Ohio – The Lima chapter of the NAACP held a meeting to discuss what it described as a “humiliating” and “degrading” incident on June 5 at the Taco Bell on Harding Highway.
Michael Downton stated that he went inside the restaurant to get a drink after passing through the drive-through. He and an employee allegedly got into a fight, and the situation deteriorated. Downton claimed he was injured when an employee slammed a door on him, shattering the glass and leaving shards in his hand. He also stated that several employees began calling him racial slurs.
“I just hope they don’t do this to nobody else, and I’m a good guy,” Downton told the reporter. “I’ve never gone in there to start anything. “I was only there to order a pop.”
Lima NAACP President Ronald Fails stated that after investigating Downton’s account, the organisation felt compelled to act.
“We are a civil rights organisation, and in my opinion, his civil rights were violated,” Fails told reporters. “We had no choice but to address it after investigating and finding out that the facts he had presented to us were correct.”
Fails stated that the NAACP has contacted the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and Downton has hired an attorney.
