Is it fair for people to pay a price for the actions of others? Well, ideally no, but that is what happened to a group of nine Black women whose casual outing turned bitter due to the actions of others.
Shakoya Sommerville-Holt told the media that she and her eight other friends were at a restaurant called Cork & Bull Chophouse in Virginia to enjoy a Friendsgiving night, but everything turned sour as they were asked to exit the place.
According to the women, the incident was an act of racial profiling, and they are now weighing possible legal action against the restaurant. They entered the place with an intention to have a good time, and long after they were seated and had ordered drinks, a violent confrontation broke out nearby between two African-American women they did not know.
According to The Atlanta Black Star, the brawl, which created complete chaos, left them grappling on the floor partially undressed as the video was recorded and later went viral. Although the two fighters left before police arrived, restaurant employees soon turned their attention to Sommerville-Holt’s group.
A group of nine Black women are pursuing legal action against the Cork and Bull restaurant in Chesapeake, Virginia, after they say they were wrongfully removed due to racial discrimination following a fight they were not involved in. pic.twitter.com/krKzQKcMMA
— streetaddictz.net (@streetaddictz) November 22, 2025
The women’s group, which consisted of Holt, Tenisha Barnes, Anquonette Bazemore, Kimberly Boney, Tenisha Jones, Crystal McCabe, Ashley McNair, and Ashley Pickens, was informed that servers would not serve any food or drinks and needed to leave the restaurant.
When they questioned if they were shutting down the place due to the fight, employee Andrew Lewis said, “No, we’re just not servicing you all because y’all like to fight.”
The group believed that they were targeted solely because, just like the women who fought, they were Black. No other customers, most of whom were not Black, were asked to leave. When police arrived, a female manager pointed officers toward the group, claiming they were involved, said attorney Joy Malbon-Gryphon.
Later, officers dismissed the claim, but a chef then began inspecting items on their table, saying the women from the fight were looking for their belongings. When the group again denied involvement, the chef allegedly told them, “Get the [expletive] out, then.”
The group consisted of a bunch of professional ladies, including an accountant, business systems analyst, and licensed social worker, who described the experience as humiliating as they walked out in front of other diners. Pickens told WAVY TV that it was “very embarrassing.”
9 Black women say they were kicked out of a Virginia restaurant following a fight they had nothing to do with, and were allegedly told, “you all like to fight.” Thoughts 💭 ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/dK1q5Lvyoh
— BLACK FLAG 💨🏴🇺🇸 (@FlagBlack007) November 22, 2025
“What happened to us was confusing, humiliating, and deeply upsetting,” Sommerville-Holt said. “No one should be removed from a restaurant or denied service when they’ve done nothing wrong.”
The women claimed that they were aware that their civil rights were allegedly violated. Still, they are not ready to file a lawsuit against Cork & Bull. The women say they want accountability, acknowledgement, and safeguards to prevent similar treatment of customers in the future.
Meanwhile, civil rights attorney Ben Crump posted about the incident, calling the women’s treatment “dehumanizing.” The day after the altercation, the restaurant posted a statement on Facebook apologizing to patrons who “may have been affected or made uncomfortable.”
As the incident went viral, the restaurant’s social media pages were filled with comments from community members condemning the staff’s behavior. Subtle instances of racism amongst people of color have been a long-standing issue that persists.
It is morally wrong to generalize and discriminate against people based on ethnicity, gender, or race. Thanks to the power of social media, everyday stories like these have got a platform to tell their plight.
