“I’ll be down there for lunch tomorrow. I’m a 4th generation Montanan. That’s not how we behave…” one supporter said in the wake of the incident. (iStock)
Passionate residents of Belgrade, Mont., are rallying support for a local Indian restaurant after the owners received a racist, offensive message on Facebook.
Raj Singh, the owner of Curry Express, shared the nasty comments that a Facebook user named Richard Suttles made on a video showing the restaurant’s lunch buffet, KBZK reported earlier this week.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to get a message like that. There's a first for everything in life I suppose. Welcome to the ignorant 21st century,” Singh, who manages the restaurant with his wife, Priyanka, wrote on Facebook.
In the exchange, Suttles commented "I'm going to puke" on the footage of the food, to which Singh replied "Don't be disrespectful. Have some manners."
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Suttles, meanwhile, fired back with strong words, writing, "Your race is a insult to the Earth. You come here get a hand out and don't do manual labor here but make a killing off our tax dollars. So to that. Go f--- yourself."
Though it’s unclear what happened beyond the exchange, many caring Belgradians immediately jumped in on Singh’s post to voice their support for his business, and unity against such prejudiced intolerance.
“I’ll be down there for lunch tomorrow. I’m a 4th generation Montanan. That’s not how we behave…” one supporter among the 300 Facebook commenters wrote.
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“Let's all give our business to this establishment this week! You have the majority of this community's support!” another agreed.
“Obviously a very sick person. Please know there are thousands of us in this valley who love & cherish your family and the diversity you offer all of us through your wonderful food!!!” one chimed in.
“I am so sorry you have been subjected to the hatred within that man. I hope that as this is shared, your business will grow and thrive from the exposure. I have not yet visited your restaurant, but my son goes to school in Bozeman, and we will be sure to visit you next time we visit!” another said.
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“That post just made us realize we haven't visited in a while. We'll be in tomorrow to thank and appreciate you and your yummy food! That guy is a toad...and karma has a long memory,” another supported noted.
According to KULR 8, though Singh has since acknowledged the tight-knit Belgrade community for their support in the wake of the incident, “the words from the original commenter have hurt him deeply.”
"We look the same, everything is almost the same, except my skin color is a little darker. So, does that mean that I am below somebody? We are equal, we need to treat everybody equally,” he said. “We need to respect every ethnicity that's there, because this is what makes us beautiful as a community."
As noted by the outlet, Curry Express first opened in Belgrade in October 2013, the first Indian restaurant in Gallatin County. The Singh family opened the eatery soon after relocating to Big Sky Country from Alabama. They also own Pakeezah, another authentic Indian restaurant, in Bozeman.
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