In Arizona, a Black couple found themselves in a terrifying situation when a white man pulled a gun on them during a business meeting at his shared kitchen. The couple managed to escape unharmed, but the wife hesitated to contact law enforcement out of fear that they might harm her husband instead of the aggressor.
Jasmine Reed and Marcus Taylor own a food truck business called Tasty Treats and rent kitchen space from the owner, Steve Morris. Following a 30-day termination notice from Morris, the couple arranged a meeting to understand his reasons for wanting them to vacate. However, during their discussion, Morris became extremely angry and confrontational, accusing Reed of being racist while wearing an “All Lives Matter” shirt.
“I just couldn’t grasp why he was so furious,” Reed recounted. “He started yelling at me and making baseless threats about suing us, claiming he didn’t want us in the kitchen anymore. I felt uncomfortable and suggested we take the meeting outside.”
Just as Taylor arrived to join the conversation, the situation escalated. Morris, still belligerent, bluntly told the couple he no longer wanted to work with them. That’s when he took a deep breath and pulled out his firearm.
Taylor instinctively lunged to disarm Morris, fearing for their lives. “I braced myself, thinking, ‘We are going to get shot,’” Reed recalled. “It was terrifying.”
As Taylor restrained Morris, Reed made a frantic 911 call, emphasizing that her husband was not the threat. “I kept saying, ‘He’s not the suspect! Please don’t shoot him,’” she remembered, highlighting the nightmare of being a Black man in a volatile situation.
Initially, Reed hesitated to call the police due to the distressing reality of Black men being harmed by law enforcement in similar circumstances. “I was terrified they might shoot my husband because he was pinning down a white man,” she said. When police finally arrived, both men were ordered to put their hands on their heads. Morris was tasered while Taylor was pulled aside.
Despite the severity of the incident, Reed expressed concern over the likelihood that Morris would not face significant consequences. “The prosecutor informed me that he likely wouldn’t serve jail time,” she said. “They’re only considering charging him with one count of assault.”
Morris claimed he felt threatened due to Taylor’s size, but the couple insists that they were victims of a hate crime. They have since set up a GoFundMe to raise money for a new, safe kitchen space, stating, “We are victims of a hate crime, and we need our community’s support.” So far, they have raised over $161,000 toward their goal of $250,000.
“All people deserve dignity and respect, regardless of race,” they wrote. “With your help, we believe we can achieve our dreams and pay it forward.”
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In summary, Jasmine Reed and Marcus Taylor’s harrowing experience highlights the fear and reality of racial violence in America. Their story is a call to action for community support and understanding as they navigate the aftermath of a traumatic encounter.