St. Pete Straw Ban Leads To Viral Confrontation At McDonald's

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- It was sheer instinct that prompted Brenda Biandudi to pull out her cell phone and videotape the scene at the St. Petersburg McDonald's.

Around 6:50 p.m. on Monday, Biandudi and her daughter, Kinie, were at the McDonald's restaurant at 4595 34th St. S. Biandudi was at the counter ordering food when another customer, Daniel Taylor, 40, began protesting because there were no straws available.

"At first my mom didn't record because she was horrified," said Kinie Biandudi. "But because it was escalating and she was the only one next to them," she began videotaping the confrontation.

Last month, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to ban the use of plastic straws in the city due to their potential hazards to wildlife and marine life.

See related story: St. Pete 1st West Coast City To Ban Plastic Straws, Styrofoam

In preparation for the new city ordinance, which goes into effect in January 2020, the St. Petersburg McDonald's stopped putting out straws for customers in the restaurant lobby. Straws are only available upon request.

Taylor took offense to the restaurant's new policy and demanded a straw from counter employee, 20-year-old Yasmine James.

Biandudi began videotaping the confrontation as Taylor reached over the counter, grabbed James' uniform collar and pulled her toward him.

James responded by punching Taylor to get him to release her.

See related story: Video: Man Accused Of Attacking McDonald's Workers Over Straw

Biandudi said she never expected the video she posted on her personal Facebook page to go viral.

By Wednesday, the video had more than 60,000 views and had been shared 500 times.

"This is all so unexpected," Biandudi said.

Watchers who commented on the video said they were not only appalled to see a white man assaulting a black woman in public but surprised that the white manager of the restaurant took so long to intervene.

In the video, it appears the manager didn't step in until another employee had pulled James from Taylor's grasp. At that point, the manager gave Taylor a straw and asked him to leave the restaurant.

Taylor did leave but then came back in, said Biandudi.

"After this part of the video, the guy came back and then went behind the counter and tried to fight the manager," said Biandudi. "The other male worker restrained him and had to physically remove him."

Before leaving, however, Taylor kicked employee Tateona Bell, 23, who is also black, in the stomach as she stood near the exit door.

This time the male employee locked the doors of the restaurant so Taylor couldn't get back in.

"My mom and I followed him down the street a few blocks in my car because the police had not arrived yet," said Biandudi. "Then we decided to go back to McDonald’s to let them know it was recorded so they could see what actually happened because the manger didn’t see it."

The police arrived and were reviewing the video when they received a call about an armed robbery nearby. Taylor had called police accusing a group of black me of holding him up. His claim was bogus but police recognized him from the video they had just watched and took him into custody.

He remains in jail in Pinellas County.

James said she's still in shock.

"He grabbed me and scared me because I didn't know if he had a knife or a gun or what," she said. "I just got him off me the best way I knew how."

James is currently at home recuperating from physical injuries and the mental trauma. Although she's been assured that her position at the restaurant is waiting for her return, James said she's frightened to return to work. She's hired Clearwater attorney Michele Rayner-Goolsby to represent her although no legal action has been taken.

“This case is a clear example of how white privilege and male privilege too often leave black women alone to defend themselves in the face of harm," said Rayner-Goolsby.

McDonald's spokesperson Khim Aday issued a statement Thursday on behalf of the corporation:

"We share the community's concern, and we are taking this disturbing incident very seriously. Our highest priority is always the safety and well-being of everyone in the restaurant, and we do not condone violence of any kind, especially against our employees. We firmly stand with our employees everywhere, including our employees at this restaurant who were involved in this incident."

James' mother, Sherrie Kelly, said she was shocked when she saw the video.

"Daniel Taylor physically attacked Yasmine after she calmly explained the new "no straws in the lobby" policy where the restaurant only gives straws upon request," said Kelly. "Taylor, unhappy with the policy, proceeded to berate Yasmine, calling her vulgar names and threatening physical harm."

She said her daughter instinctively defended herself when Taylor grabbed her by the counter and pulled her toward him.

"Yasmine was left to defend herself, as no one immediately stepped in to help," said her mother.

Kelly has started a GoFundMe account on her daughter's behalf not only to pay her medical expenses but to ensure that her daughter doesn't have to go back to work at the restaurant.

She said her daughter only took the job at McDonald's three months ago to save money for college. Her daughter has long dreamed of becoming a registered nurse. Kelly emphasized that all funds donated will go to medical and educational expenses, not legal fees.

James said she's grateful for the outpouring of support she's received from people around the country. She said the encouraging comments have given her the courage to stand up for herself.

"I am aware this type of violence happens to women, especially black women, every day. For me, this was the last straw," she said. "I am committed to using the horrible experience as a means to fight for justice and stopping violence against women."

Image via Sherri Kelly

Video via Brenda Biandudi