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DC coffee shop owner berates UberEats driver to ‘learn English’ in viral video —before health officials shut down store
A Washington DC coffee shop owner erupted into a racist tirade against a Spanish-speaking Uber Eats delivery driver, demanding he “learn English” and mocking his language.
Canna Coffee owner Greg Harris was caught in a viral video posted on TikTok Monday berating driver Gregorio Amundarain for allegedly making “money” in America and not knowing English while picking up an order.
“Learn English! Learn it!” Harris shouts in the face of Amundarain, then into the camera on Amundarain’s phone as he begins to record the blatant verbal assault.
“You make money in America, learn English!”
Harris is then seen grabbing the driver’s second phone, which is seemingly used for his delivery, and reiterating the racially charged remarks.
“No speak English,” Amundarain responds as the enraged coffee shop owner continues to shout.
The driver then begins to speak Spanish, to which Harris is heard angrily mocking the driver with gibberish and getting into his face.
“This ain’t your f–king country! This ain’t your f–king country! Learn English!” the owner shouted directly into the driver’s face.
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Harris continues to shout and mock Amundarain before slamming a brown paper bag with the food order the delivery driver was picking up into his chest and again.
Amundarain exited the establishment but was followed by Harris, who is seen getting into his face again before the one-minute video ends.
The video, which accumulated nearly 20 million views since being posted, has sparked outrage against the DC coffee shop.
Amundarain, who moved from Venezuela to the US to provide a better life for his family, told Fox 5 Washington DC that the encounter between himself and the owner escalated quickly, and he began recording for his safety.
“There was no need for me to be treated so disrespectfully,” the Uber Eats driver told the outlet.
Amundarain said he filed a report with the DC police department about how he was discriminating against, according to Fox 5.
Law enforcement told the outlet they are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime and simple assault.
Uber said they have since banned Canna Coffee from its platform in a post on X Wednesday.
“We are disgusted by the behavior in this video. Hate has no place on our platform, and we have removed this business from our app and are working to check in on this courier’s well-being,” the food delivery and ride-sharing company wrote.
Since Amundarain was seen being berated on camera, DC Health — which performs pass-fail inspections in the city for food establishments — said Canna Coffee was illegally operating when the driver went to pick up the order, according to WUSA9.
DC Health officials said they inspected Canna Coffee on Sept. 11 and found the establishment had several violations.
Officials then immediately issued a summary suspension and shut down the shop on Sept. 18 until “further notice.”
Canna Coffee, however, remained open and violated the order, officials told the outlet.
Officials did not disclose the violations, which led to Canna Coffee receiving a summary suspension.
It was also revealed that the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) has been investigating the business for months.
DLCP filed two notices of infraction against Canna Coffee on May 13 and Aug. 8 but would not share what prompted them to file the notices, officials with the department told WUSA9.
According to WUSA9, Harris and his lawyer plan to hold a news conference on Monday.
The Post has contacted DC Health, DLCP, and the Metropolitan Police Department for comments.