Washington, DC – Last month, after she finished serving a large order at the restaurant where she works in the United States capital, Raquel received a shock: her customer had written the word “negative” on his bill – and left her no tip.
“Biden will solve all,” another handwritten message on the bill read.
The note horrified Raquel, who only shared her middle name with Al Jazeera in fear of retaliation. It was something she had never experienced in her two years working at the restaurant. She said she believes she received those messages because she is Hispanic.
The incident took place the day after thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump congregated in the city for the Million MAGA March on November 14. Many, if not most, had travelled from across the country to support Trump and his bid to overturn the US election results.