Denny's Disaster at Syracuse

Six Asian / American Students and their white companion were allegedly assaulted in a Denny's parking lot after being denied service on April 11, 1997.. The students complained about unfair treatment and were then asked to leave the premises by the Denny's management. Two Denny's security guards escorted the students out and it is reported that the security guard pushed one of the students. The students allege that a group of twenty males came out of the restaurant, shouting racial epithets and looking for a fight.

"There were empty tables. And several whites who came later were seated ahead of them... They needlessly pushed the Asian students outside, and caused others to come see what was going on... The students were denied the right to full and equal enjoyment of Denny's services, including the protection of Denny's hired security guards," says Elizabeth OuYang, an attorney with the Asian American Legal Defense Fund.

"He slammed me straight to the ground... I felt a kick to the back of my head. Then I began to feel a little woozy. As I was loosing my balance and starting to fall over I was hit again in the right cheekbone... I remember looking up and seeing one of the security officers looking at me. Things began to get blurry, and as I fell on my side, I felt another kick on my back... After that, things just went dark."- Mimi T. Japanese College Student.

"I couldn't eat where i wanted to. I was beaten by whoever wanted to beat me. I am not welcome here," says Yuya Hasegawa, one of the international Japanese students.

"I was never made to feel so helpless and so different in my life," states Derrick Lizardo, a Filipino American student who came to the aid of Hasegawa.

The Denny's franchise owner is African American and claims that Denny's has been an easy target for discrimination charges. "I think that if it wasn't Denny's, this charge probably would not have been brought up." This is is refernce to Denny's history on race relations. In 1991, a group of eighteen African American teenagers were asked to pay for their meals before the food arrived in San Jose. In 1993, six African American Secret Service agents were denied service at Denny's in Maryland.

In August, the franchisee of the Syracuse restaurant, NDI Foods Inc., fired all the management, staff and security personnel involved in the incident. The Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick claimed an investigation by his office found no evidence that the April 11 incident involved racial discrimination by the Denny's employees or the security guards. "All the independant witnesses concur that when the students entered the Denny's and complained, they were obnoxious," and "out of line,"Mr Fitzpatrick said summarizing the findings of a 29 page report.

So if I get annoyed that people are unfairly being seated ahead of me, and I'm deemed "out of line," I should expect to be beated unconscious in the parking lot? I don't think so.
What you can do
There is a letter writing campaign urging that the case be investigated thoroughly and expeditiously addressed to:

Janet Reno
U.S. Attorney General
Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 10530
cc-Isabelle Katz Pinzler
Acting Assistant Attorney General
Civil Rights Division
Department of Justice

Sharon Leibeck Hartman
Office of the Civil Rights Monitor
P.O. Box 36806
Los Angeles, CA 90036-0806

It is also urged that people write to the District Attorney's Office Urging that they arrest all the responsible individuals and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law to:
Willian J. Fitzpatrick
District Attorny
421 Montgomery Street, 12th Floor
Syracuse, NY 13202.

If anyone has any additional questions about this incident, please speak to Liz OuYang at AALDEF at 212-966-5932 (e-mail to AALDEF@worldnet.att.net).

Sources Consulted:
Grand Slam Breakfast? Emil guillermo. The Progressive, August 1997. v61 n8 p13(1).
Presecuter rejects claims by students involving Denny's The Wall Street Journal, September 5, 1997. n178 pA7A(w) pB7A(E) col 3.
Racism and Anit-Asian Violence at Denny's! (or: What Else Is New?) Bamboo Girl issue #6.Edited by Margarita Alcantara.

Janet Reno U.S. Attorney General Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 10530	cc-Isabelle Katz Pinzler Acting Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division Department of Justice	Sharon Leibeck Hartman Office of the Civil Rights Monitor P.O. Box 36806 Los Angeles, CA 90036-0806
It is also urged that people write to the District Attorney's Office Urging that they arrest all the responsible individuals and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law to: Willian J. Fitzpatrick District Attorny 421 Montgomery Street, 12th Floor Syracuse, NY 13202.