On Monday, September 7th, three BLM protesters were arrested at a Pittsburgh diner.
Locals filed misdemeanor charges against Monique Craft, aged 35, Kenneth McDowell, aged 33, and Shawn Green, aged 24.
Currently, it’s unclear whether they are in police custody or not.
The video of their protests has since gone viral. The video depicted Craft and the other two screaming ‘f*** the white people’, among other obscenities, at people dining outside Sienna Mercato restaurant, located on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh.
Craft, who identifies as non-binary, was seen snatching a beer from an elderly white couple before chugging it down. Since then, Craft has earned the nickname ‘Beer Bandit’ on social media platforms.
All three swore repeatedly at the couple. One witness reported that Green, also known as Lorenzo Rulli, flipped them off. However, McDowell was identified as a ‘ringleader’ because of his use of the microphone to yell swears and cuss words at the diners.
McDowell is already famous for another viral video. This one depicted him fighting with a McDonald’s manager during another BLM protest.
Craft’s charges include theft, disorderly conduct, and conspiracy. McDowell, on the other hand, is charged with conspiracy, disorderly conduct, harassment, and possessing instruments of crime.
Lastly, Green was also arrested for disorderly conduct and conspiracy. However, his charges include criminal mischief and simple trespassing as well.
Since the arrest, Craft and McDowell have come forward, claiming in an interview with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the video showed only one side of the story. Craft specified that earlier several men were shouting ‘Blue Lives Matter’ at them.
One of these males even threw a bike at the trio.
Donald Trump tweeted about the event:
“BLM Protesters horribly harass elderly Pittsburgh diners, scaring them with loud taunts while taking their food right off their plate. These Anarchists, not protesters, are Biden voters, but he has no control and nothing to say. Disgraceful. Never seen anything like it. Thugs!”
His tweets came on Tuesday, September 8th. Biden has since clarified that ‘violence, looting,’ and other illegal behavior aren’t viable forms of protest.