Man Praised For Viral Nick's In The Sticks Video Speaks Out For First Time Since Incident

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A Tuscaloosa County man has issued his first public statement since going viral in a video showing him confronting another man at a local restaurant for saying a racial slur when referring to his Black friends.

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As Patch previously reported, Hunter Sartain can be seen and heard in the video passionately chiding another white man, Jack Moltz, whom he and others claimed used racist language when talking about a group of Black people Sartain was sitting with at Nick's in the Sticks — a popular restaurant and bar on Culver Road on the western fringes of the city limits.

Others in the video standing around outside of the restaurant seem to corroborate Sartain's claims about the other man, who is shown in the video wearing a Nick's in the Sticks T-shirt.

"This is their first time experiencing this, they're friends of mine here and you're going to make me feel bad because I sat down at the table with them and you asked me ... you asked me if I'm going to consult with these [spells out N-word]," Sartain told the man in the video.

Moltz later admitted to WVUA 23 News on Wednesday that he did use the racial slur in the context portrayed in the viral video.

The video of the verbal altercation was initially posted to Facebook and quickly went viral, going on to be seen millions of times and shared by tens of thousands. While many on social media took critical aim at the business and Sartain, an outpouring of support and respect was also offered up for Sartain.

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Sartain told Patch that he doesn't consider himself any kind of hero and instead insisted that there are more people than most might realize who would've done the same thing had they been in a similar position.

Sartain then provided the following statement, which he also posted on Facebook Wednesday evening. Tuscaloosa Patch has agreed to print it verbatim:

I have been deeply saddened over the past several days to see the genuine hurt experienced by so many in our community, state, and country. This was never about me. I only reacted in protection of others and what I thought was the right thing to do. I hope the recent events will allow people to see most Americans are good and desire to work together. We must make it our mission to treat each other with love, kindness, and respect. My prayer moving forward is that we can all work together for the good of our communities. If each person strives to stand for what's right and work together, I can only imagine how wonderful our society would be. God Bless America!

ADMISSIONS & REACTIONS

The video of the altercation outside of Nick's in the Sticks last week also spurred overwhelming backlash aimed at the decades-old business, resulting in on-site protests by the Tuscaloosa branch of the NAACP.

"We stand in solidarity with the victims and demand accountability and justice," Tuscaloosa branch NAACP President Lisa Young told Patch on Monday. "We will continue to fight against all forms of racism and work towards creating a community where every individual is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."

Carla Moltz is the owner of the business and wife of the late owner Lloyd Hegenbarth, who died in 2014.

Jack Moltz, her husband, made a statement Wednesday afternoon to WVUA 23 News and admitted to using the racial slur and apologized for his actions.

"I will live with the shame and hope one day I can be forgiven," Moltz told the television station, before going on to say he hopes the deluge of negative attention will be focused squarely on him and not his family or friends.

Some elected leaders have also spoken out, including Tuscaloosa City Council President Kip Tyner and District 1 Councilor Matthew Wilson, who said Nick's in the Sticks is positioned on the outskirts of his district by less than a mile.

Tyner reflected on the warmth and kindness of beloved former owner Nick Del Gatto, who died in 2003 at the age of 94. Del Gatto sold Nick's Fillet House in 1974, according to his obituary, and worked for the new owners for two decades before officially retiring in his late 80s.

Tyner then said that during this time, Nick's in the Sticks, as it became known by its regular patrons and the wider community, developed a reputation as a cherished local institution on the level with others like the Cotton Patch or The Waysider.

"I just want to say, I knew Nick Del Gatto and he was absolutely one of the finest men you could meet," Tyner told Patch. "He was just such a welcoming person to all of his customers new and old. I knew he would have been devastated by what happened."

He went on to say that Del Gatto's family reached out to Tyner in an effort to stress to the community that the family has no ties to the current ownership of the restaurant.

Wilson also condemned the Moltz's actions in the viral video during Tuesday night's regular City Council meeting and later in a statement provided to Tuscaloosa Patch.

"At no moment in time should such condescending comments denoting negativity about human beings by using the (N-Word) be used," he told Patch. "Our city is not perfect but We Are Tuscaloosa, I love Tuscaloosa and we can do better, we must do better."

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