Amber Liu Apologizes for ‘Ignorant’ Comments on Man Stopped By Police for Eating on BART Platform
By Carl Samson
November 19, 2019
Amber Liu has apologized for the remarks she made about a man who was confronted by a police officer for eating a sandwich on a San Francisco train platform.
The incident, which was caught on video, occurred as Steve Foster, 31, waited to board a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train near Contra Costa Centre around 8 a.m. on Nov. 4.
The video, reportedly filmed by Foster’s girlfriend, shows a BART officer attempting to arrest him for eating a breakfast sandwich on the Pleasant Hill platform.
The officer, identified through his tag as D. McCormick, stated that Foster was “in violation of California law.”
Under California law, “eating or drinking in or on a system facility or vehicle in areas where those activities are prohibited by that system” is an infraction punishable by a maximum fine of $250 and community service for 48 hours within a 30-day period.
In the video, Foster, who is Black, accuses McCormick of singling him out among other people on the platform and insists that he is “not going to jail for eating a f***ing sandwich.”
In response, McCormick points out that he is being detained for “resisting arrest.”
According to NBC News, Foster calls McCormick homophobic slurs at one point in the video, saying, for one, that he missed two trains “because of your old f**got ass,” KQED News noted.
Alicia Trost, communications director for BART, told Fox News that Foster was not arrested over the incident, but was issued a citation for “eating inside our paid area which is a violation of state law.”
In a statement, Bob Powers, BART’s general manager, said that McCormick was on another call when he asked Foster to stop eating, which the latter apparently did despite “multiple signs inside every station” banning it in paid areas.
“The individual refused to provide identification, cursed at and made homophobic slurs at the officer who remained calm throughout the entire engagement,” Powers said.
While Powers acknowledged that McCormick was only doing his job, he noted that “context is key” and apologized to Foster, passengers, employees and the public “who have had an emotional reaction to the video.”
Following the incident, Amber Liu appeared in a now-deleted video on YouTube channel JustKiddingNews, where she shared her thoughts on the incident.
“He deserved it,” the former f(x) member said, according to Soompi. “I think he just deserved it because he’s being super disrespectful, and you don’t have to act like that toward a police officer. A police officer is still a police officer. You should still show some type of respect. Know your rights, but show some type of respect.”
The “Other People” singer reportedly received backlash for her comments, forcing her to issue an apology on Twitter.
“I am so sorry,” the 27-year-old wrote. “I saw a video clip, made an ignorant, snap judgment, and I majorly messed up. It was my fault for not being aware of how the systemic racism in the United States has continued and gotten worse while I spent the last 10 years overseas.
“I 100% do not stand for racism and discrimination. It angers me that he was singled out because of the color of his skin. It is completely unjust and I am so sorry for not seeing the whole situation and jumping to a conclusion. I’m sorry for hurting you guys.”
“I’ve always stood for equality, I’ve always stood for love, I believe in #BlackLivesMatter, and I’m so sorry I’ve negatively affected so many people because of my ignorance and I will continue to educate myself in this matter.”
Foster reportedly faces a fine of $250 and 48 hours of community service for his offense.
Feature Images via @ajol_llama (Left), Bill Gluckman / Dallas Urban (Right)
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