*Los Angeles civil rights activist Najee Ali is demanding that Master Burger immediately fire an employee accused of directing an anti-Black racial slur at a customer, with activists planning a Sunday press conference outside the West Adams restaurant.
Ali, senior organizer with Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches, said in a statement that an employee allegedly referred to Black people as “monkeys” during a dispute Wednesday. A video connected to the incident has circulated on Facebook.
EURweb has not independently verified what was said during the confrontation or identified the employee accused of making the remark. No public response from Master Burger to the allegation was located before publication.
“The comments made on Wednesday by an employee at Master Burger, referring to Black people as ‘monkeys,’ should be immediately condemned for what they are: racist hate speech,” Ali said.
Ali Condemns Alleged Rock Throwing, Too
Ali also made clear that his condemnation wasn’t one-sided.
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“I do not support the actions of patrons who allegedly threw a rock at the business during the dispute,” he said. “Violence and property damage are not the answer.”
But Ali argued that alleged misconduct by customers would not justify racial language from someone working at a business serving a predominantly Black community.
“There must be accountability,” he said.
Ali and fellow activists are demanding the immediate termination of the person they say was responsible for the slur. A press conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. today, Sunday, Aug. 23, outside Master Burger at 4366 W. Adams Blvd. in Los Angeles.
‘We Cannot Allow Another Latasha Harlins Situation’
Ali’s statement reaches beyond the confrontation at Master Burger, connecting it to one of the most painful chapters in Los Angeles history: the killing of Latasha Harlins.
Harlins, a 15-year-old Black girl, was fatally shot in 1991 by Korean American store owner Soon Ja Du following a confrontation at a South Central Los Angeles convenience store.
Du was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, but Judge Joyce Karlin sentenced her to probation rather than prison — a decision that intensified already strained relations between Black residents and Korean merchants in parts of Los Angeles.
For Ali, the history remains a warning about what can happen when disrespect and racial hostility become normalized.
“We cannot allow another Latasha Harlins situation,” he said. “We cannot wait until disrespect escalates into tragedy before we demand accountability.”
Ali also recalled the 1992 Los Angeles unrest following the acquittal of four LAPD officers charged in the videotaped beating of Rodney King. While the King verdict became the immediate catalyst for the uprising, Ali said anger over Harlins’ killing and Du’s sentence was already deeply embedded in the Black community.
“For us, Latasha Harlins came first,” he said.
Black Dollars and Respect
The Master Burger controversy also prompted Ali to make a broader argument about Black economic power.
“Businesses cannot come into Black communities, depend on Black consumers, benefit from Black purchasing power and then believe that racial insults or statements suggesting that there is ‘no such thing as Black dollars’ will be tolerated when a dispute occurs,” he said.
“Black dollars matter. Black consumers matter. And Black dignity matters.”
Ali said that philosophy helped give rise to the LA Black Breakfast Club, a coalition focused on Black economic empowerment and support for Black-owned businesses.
Sunday’s Master Burger press conference is being sponsored by Project Islamic Hope and Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches along with a coalition of community organizations.
For Ali, however, the demand comes down to something more basic than economics: Black customers should be able to enter businesses in their communities without being subjected to racial humiliation.
“Never again will I stand by and allow anyone to become comfortable using racial slurs against Black people in our communities,” he said.
“Not on my watch.”
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