PLAINFIELD, Conn — A Canterbury man is out of a job and facing charges after allegedly using racial slurs and refusing to serve members of The Woodstock Academy Basketball team at a Plainfield Wendy's on Thursday evening.
22-year-old Brett White has been charged with Breach of Peace and was released on a $10,000 bond.
Two boys basketball coaches from The Woodstock Academy are now sharing their side of the story, hoping for change.
"Very scary moment because we've seen so many times, where people that look like us, we're not able to conduct these interviews after," said Denzel Washington, Assistant Basketball Coach for the boy's varsity team at The Woodstock Academy. Washington is also the Director of Equity and Inclusion for the school.
Washington and Head Coach, Donte Adams, said they're still trying to process what happened on Thursday night.
It all started with them making a post-game stop just before 10 p.m. at Wendy's in Plainfield, as they often do after a tough game.
"It's like a routine stop, right in the middle, not too far from the academy," Adams said, who is also a paraprofessional at The Woodstock Academy.
But this time, they said were met with White, who was refusing to serve them, though the store was scheduled to close at midnight.
"Instantly as soon as we get inside, the manager just turns away and was just like 'F this, I'm not dealing with this S, H tonight' and then walks to the back," Washington said. "We know that there was a lot going on when we arrived, there was an accident that was just clearing up in their driveway, and everything else."
The coaches took note of White's initial demeanor, which the kids saw, and sent the team back to the bus.
"Our first thought was, we have to protect our kids," Adams said. "Being that we're not the aggressors here, we just want to speak to the manager."
Washington and Adams wanted to talk to White, knowing they might come back to that same Wendy's another day.
"In all honesty, we just wanted to let the manager know, 'let's not talk to the kids like that' but 'we will be back again after one of our games. Just letting you know so next time, this doesn't occur again,'" Washington said.
Washington said immediately, White was telling them he wasn't going to feed a bus full of kids.
"We were like, 'Okay, that's understandable, we see that you have a lot going on here today. However, we eat here a lot, you know, our kids heard what you said, and as an adult, you being the manager, we have to make sure we're mindful of that," Washington said.
Then, Washington said White's emotions escalated from there, yelling at them to get out of the restaurant.
"As we're walking out, just in utter disbelief that this is happening, you know, he's like, 'Get the F out, you N words,'" Washington said. "And I turned around just like, woah."
The coaches left the store and approached a woman who was sitting in the parking lot to let her know about the situation. That woman then took matters into her own hands and called the police.
"Special thank you to her. We're very proud of the way that our kids acted on the bus, very respectful. It's unfortunate that they had to witness that," Washington said.
Eventually, the police showed up and spoke with Washington and Adams.
"They were like, 'How do you feel, how far do you want to take this?' And things like that," Adams said. "I was frightened for the police to come, because I'm like, if the police come now and we're in this establishment, we don't want to look like the aggressors."
Washington and Adams credited the Plainfield Police Department for being respectful and taking their emotions into consideration, along with the kids.
Shortly after that, police arrested White.
The next day, Washington and Adams said they've received lots of support from the community and The Woodstock Academy.
The Head of the School, Chris Sanford, responded to the incident. Sanford wrote in a statement, "While I am angry and devastated over this incident, I could not be more proud of our coaches and student-athletes. These coaches are building fine young men who are going to change the world...This experience is not only life-changing for those involved, but it has also shown that the work we have been doing as a school community in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion is more important than ever.”
Sanford's full statement is here.
The coaches and student-athletes held a meeting Friday morning to discuss the incident, and counseling and support services were made available to the students, the school said.
Wendy's in Plainfield is a franchise, owned by the company, Inspired by Opportunity, LLC. The owners of the company said White no longer works for them.
"Inspired by Opportunity has zero tolerance for racial harassment or discrimination," a spokesperson for the franchised Wendy's location said. "We condemn this manager’s conduct as completely inconsistent with our values and have taken prompt and immediate action. The manager is no longer employed with the Company. We are committed to working with our teammates to ensure that our restaurants continue to be welcoming to all who visit."
White is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 21.
For more information on Woodstock Acamdey, click here.
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