Woman Targeted In Starbucks Encounter Pens Letter To Couple

NEWTOWN, PA — A Newtown woman who was the target of last week's encounter on State Street that resulted in charges against one man says she's using the situation as an opportunity to further her cause of fighting for racial equality.

Soni Madnani was putting up flyers on June 1 following the death of George Floyd when Vincent Lewis, 63, and his wife approached her. A verbal dispute ensued, and Lewis knocked Madnani's phone from her hand, according to police and video from the scene.

Lewis has since been charged with harassment and criminal mischief in connection with the incident, which was captured on video and viewed widely on Facebook.

But Madnani said she wants something constructive to come out of the situation. She has written a letter to the couple and included a resource guide "that brings attention to systemic racism in the United States."

Madnani said she gave both the letter and the guide to the police and asked they give it the couple "in hopes that it will result in some constructive dialogue and re-education."

Madnani has shared the letter with Patch. Here it is, in its entirety:

My parents - two immigrants, two physicians - moved to Bucks County in 2011 from Mississippi in hopes of finding a community that would offer them acceptance and love. I have spent almost ten years in this community feeling safe and welcomed. Four of those ten years I spent at George School, walking into town on Friday nights to get Zebra Striped Whale or Starbucks. To this day, Zebra is my all time favorite ice cream. However, since last Monday, I have felt scared and hesitant to return to the crossing where I encountered you both. After we left town that day, my 18-year-old brother was shook. He wanted to leave Newtown as soon as possible. My little brother wanted to leave the place where he spent four years attending high school, and where I spent four years attending high school, because he felt unsafe and unwelcomed. It broke my heart.

You took away our safety and our sense of belonging. Your violent screams, the sense of entitlement you felt when you flagged down the Emergency Services vehicle - like you were positive we were guilty in the matter-, and most of all, the fact that you, Mr, Lewis, thought it was okay to lay your hands on me. What is it that gave you both the license to treat us that way? Your words keep ringing in my ears… “I don’t like this in our community - which I’ve lived in for 30 years. Where do you live?” What is it that made you assume I was not from this community? Was it the color of my skin? Or was it the fact that I was advocating for Black lives? Whatever it may be, I recommend you do some serious reflection on the fragility that you expressed that afternoon.

Black lives are in danger and they have been since slaves were brought to the United States in 1619. Today, it is people like you who refuse to admit the disparities that exist that perpetuate the systematic racism that Black folks face every single day. I refuse to accept any performative apologies from you until you spend a significant amount of time re-educating yourselves. I am still baffled by your response to Black men being killed at the hands of the police. Mrs. Lewis, you yelled “It was one person.” How many times can we tell you that it has not been just one person? There have been so many fathers, so many sons, and do not forget the many Black women that have been victims of police violence. Sandra Bland, Breonna Taylor, Kayla Moore, Miriam Carey, Tanisha Anderson. Mothers. Daughters. Americans who deserve the same respect and dignity that you expect for yourselves.

Black Americans own approximately one-tenth of the wealth of white Americans. Have you thought deeply about why this is the case? Have you considered how white Americans stole labor and land from Black Americans and how the government limited the wealth of Black families through subprime mortgages and redlining? In 2011, one in every three Black boys could expect to spend time in prison. Have you studied how Nixon’s war on drugs criminalized the Black body and filled America’s jails with Black fathers and sons? What do you know about mass incarceration? More relevant to your area of work, Mrs. Lewis, in 2005, the National Academy of Medicine found that “racial and ethnic minorities receive lower-quality health care than white people - when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable.”

Nurses and doctors are less likely to give minorities appropriate diagnoses and care. Now tell me, how can I, or anyone other minority in this community, trust you to care for the lives of Black and Brown people?

I have created the attached packet for you in hopes that it will help re-educate and re-socialize you both to be better members of our community. It includes names of Black people who have been victim to police violence, a definition of propaganda, information on the first amendment, resources for you to read about systemic racism, places where you can donate to advance the Black Lives Matter movement, statistics on racial inequality, and some readings that you might find educational.

Towards the end of our encounter on Monday, you exclaimed that we “were messing with the wrong lady.” Let me assure you that, it is in fact, the other way around. You have messed with two members of this community who are committed to advocating for justice. My brother and I will not let your ignorant, racist actions deter us from fighting for what is right. I plan to dedicate my life to civil rights work so that the next two brown or Black kids who walk through the streets of Newtown will feel more safe. You have done nothing but expose your lack of empathy, understanding, and acceptance. Thank you for giving me more reason to continue to fight for racial equality in the United States.

Sincerely,

Soni Madnani