Trigger Warning: This article contains references to racist language, hate speech, or discriminatory conduct.

A Pittsburgh father revealed that his nine-year-old twin sons faced harassment while trying to run their lemonade stand business. A video capturing one such confrontation has drawn attention from internet users.

Marcus McBride’s twin sons are the faces behind Steel City Twinz, a lemonade stand that works with the slogan, “the world’s scary, we’re making it sweeter.” McBride told Atlanta Black Star that the video of his sons being harassed by a man riding a bike has received a lot of attention, which depicts the ike rider screaming at the boys and their mother.

The man in question accused the mother of the children of exploiting them. He insisted that the confrontation was not about race. He also suggested that the mother probably spends the money that her children make on a “hookah.”

The mother confronted the man, seeking a reason for his repeated harassment. While she wished that he would “heal” for whatever he was facing, the man continued his accusations of exploitation, sarcastically wishing her luck with “exploiting” her children. The twins in question did not engage with the man directly. They chose to ignore the man, even waving at passersby.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Atlanta Black Star (@atlblackstar)

McBride confirmed that the incident was not an isolated incident. He has attributed it to a racial angle, given that they typically set up in a predominantly white neighborhood in Pittsburgh. According to McBride, neighbours have approached the kids with insults on many occasions. However, McBride revealed that he wants his sons to respond to hostility with kindness. He wants to stay true to the mission of positivity that the stand wishes to follow, even in the face of hostile behaviour.

“The whole point of the stand was to show love. So even though people are acting that way, we should still show love.”

— Marcus McBride, father of the Steel City Twinz, Atlantablackstar

He has not yet revealed if the family is looking to escalate the matter with law enforcement authorities, but has said that the twins have every intention to continue operating their lemonade stand.

Comments under the Instagram video focused on the behavior of the biker, while also praising the work that the twins have been doing. One user wrote, “Oh, he said hookah store. It was definitely race-related.”

Another user stated, “Anytime we are doing us, being independent and having joy, they have a problem with it.”

A third user stated, “My little cousin just had a very successful lemonade stand. It’s teaching them how to become entrepreneurs and earn money instead of living off their parents’ money while also helping with their social skills. Why can’t we be left alone?”

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.