Chinese Woman Creates Disturbance at Starbucks! Global Times: 'Whiter Than White People'

According to multiple foreign media reports, an assault recently took place at a Starbucks in Mountain View, California. Local police said that on the afternoon of May 28, a 33-year-old woman named Daixin Neill-Quan began verbally abusing store employees, and as others stepped in, customers too were subjected to her verbal and physical attacks.

The Incident Unfolds

Mountain View Police reported on June 3 that after entering the store that afternoon, Neill-Quan suddenly launched into a tirade against the Indian-American store manager. Apparently on the basis of racial assumptions, she mistook the manager for Mexican, told him she would have him deported back to Mexico, and demanded that he "go back to your own country."

When a Latina customer stepped forward to intervene, she too was verbally abused — mocked for the accent in her English when ordering coffee. Neill-Quan then took out her phone to film the woman, saying she would report her to the U.S. government and military to have her deported. While trying to stop the filming, the Latina woman was repeatedly struck by Neill-Quan, sustaining injuries of varying severity to her face and ears.

Arrest and Investigation

Other customers then restrained the woman, and police arrived and arrested her. Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said the attack appeared to be unprovoked.

During the investigation, witnesses stated that no one at the scene had done anything to provoke Neill-Quan, nor made any provocative gestures. The assaulted customer had simply been ordering a coffee and had no prior contact with her before intervening. Rosen added that Neill-Quan also attempted to attack a Spanish-speaking child, but was stopped immediately by the child's father.

According to the police report, Neill-Quan was arrested on charges of hate crime and assault, both misdemeanors. She is currently being held in local jail with bail set at $10,000.

Public Response and Background

Foreign netizens reacted with outrage, conducting an overnight "deep dive" into Neill-Quan's background and flooding her personal social media accounts with condemnation.

The Global Times reported that based on her posts and pinned articles, she appears to be a staunch supporter of former U.S. President Trump. On May 17, 2020, she posted celebrating Trump's impeachment acquittal by Congress; on January 19, 2021, she posted on Facebook accusing the Democratic Party and media of persecuting Trump, while directing racist abuse at U.S. Vice President Harris.

Starbucks issued a statement on June 3: "The company does not tolerate any form of racism or discrimination. The safety of our customers and partners (employees) has been and will continue to be our top priority. We thank all the customers who stepped in to intervene during this incident, and we stand with them."

Broader Context and Commentary

The incident came just a month after U.S. President Biden addressed hate crimes against ethnic minorities: "Hate has no safe harbor in America. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity." He added, "For generations of Americans, racism, harassment, and hate crimes persist, so this struggle for equality is just beginning. America faces not only those who have committed serious, life-threatening acts, but also those who fill their minds with wrong ideas, and those who use power, prestige, and money to induce others to do terrible things."

Commenting on the woman's behavior, the Global Times remarked that her attitudes made her "more white than white people."

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