‘We do not want you here’: Racist tirade against woman in Torrance park goes viral

A woman exercising in a park in Torrance was accosted Wednesday by another woman who unleashed a string of profanities and told her to “go back to whatever ... Asian country you belong in” in an incident that was captured on video.

The video has been shared widely and viewed more than 86,000 times since it was posted on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon.

The encounter began as a young woman was recording her workout on a set of stairs at Wilson Park. An older woman, who was walking down the stairs, bustled past the exerciser and nearly bumped her.

“Jesus,” the first woman muttered.

That comment apparently set off the second woman, who unleashed a profanity-filled rant that lasted several minutes. She accused the first woman of taking up too much of the stairs and later criticized her decision to wear black in the “California sun.”

Reader advisory: This video contains extensive profanity.

“Listen to me. We don’t play games here anymore. Next time you talk to me like that you’re going to get your ... kicked by my family. They’re gonna ... you up,” the woman says, using an expletive.

The woman continues, shouting that the exerciser wasn’t welcome there as the rant quickly escalated into a racist tirade.

“This is not your place. This is not your home,” the woman yells. “We do not want you here.”

Torrance Mayor Patrick Furey said the city is aware of the incident and police are investigating.

“All visitors to our open spaces should always feel safe and free to exercise while practicing social distancing without conflict,” he said. “Conduct like that displayed on the video cannot be tolerated.”

Torrance police could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday morning.

Rachel Tennell, a friend of the woman who was working out, said she shared the video on behalf of her friend, who she said no longer feels safe exercising in the park.

“She works out every day and always records her workouts for her own personal fitness diary,” Tennell wrote on Twitter.

“Luckily, this incident was recorded because a lot of the time these things are not recorded and victims are not believed. All people of color experience some type of racism in America. This is our moment as a country to do better and to fix these ills so the next generation doesn’t have to fight the same battles.”