I went to what Google lists as "Ez Pickens," although the business has a different name displayed on the outside.
I initially ordered a drink and then joined a friend I had recently met. He bought me a shot, and we went to play pool. The atmosphere felt friendly, and I was in a good mood celebrating the 49ers' win.
Between games, I went to use the restroom. I checked a stall that appeared unoccupied and began to open the door. Suddenly, the door was forcefully slammed shut onto my hand. I tried to pull my hand away but wasn't fast enough. Immediately after, the woman inside said, "It's your fault for opening the door." I responded by asking why the door hadn't been locked.
My finger began throbbing, and a blood blister quickly formed. As I exited the restroom in pain, the woman followed me out, despite me repeatedly asking her to leave me alone. She continued to harass me and stated that she saw my hand and did it on purpose, yet still claimed it was my fault. She then said she was the owner's daughter and implied that this excused her actions and that I should have known better than to open the stall door.
I informed the bartender of what happened. Instead of addressing the injury or the harassment, the bartender responded by saying, "She is the owner's daughter, and if you're going to make a big deal out of it, you need to leave." I was shocked that my injury and the fact that I was being followed and harassed were dismissed solely because the person who injured me was related to the owner.
I attempted to remain calm and civil. I asked for a pin and tequila so I could tend to my blood blister myself. Even then, it was clear that more concern was given to protecting the owner's daughter than to the safety and well-being of a customer who had been injured and harassed.
This experience left me feeling unsafe, disrespected, and unheard. No customer should be physically injured, followed, harassed, and then told to leave simply because the person responsible is related to the owner. read more