An Ohio florist has issued an apology after a viral video captured him unleashing a racist and misogynistic tirade against a female Uber driver. The incident occurred at Valentine Florals in Columbus, where Raymond Valentine was caught on camera hurling vile insults at the woman following a misunderstanding over a return.
The incident
The heated exchange began when the driver, Kimberly, entered the store to complete a return. Valentine repeatedly shouted at her to "get out," and when she tried to reason with him, his language escalated to racial slurs. He called her a "n*****" and a "c***," among other insults. The video, posted to TikTok by Kimberly's son Antonio Moss, shows Valentine yelling, "You're a f***ing disgrace. You can kiss my white a**. Get the f*** out!"
Backlash and apology
The footage quickly went viral, leading to a flood of negative reviews for Valentine Florals. The store's Google rating plummeted to 1.3 out of five, and its voicemail box was disconnected. A similarly named flower shop in Houston, Texas, was also mistakenly targeted and had to ask users to stop leaving negative reviews.
Valentine later apologized in an interview with ABC6, claiming he is "not racist" but that his actions "came across as being racist." He said, "I have many friends of color. I'm not racist. What happened yesterday came across as being racist. And I deeply apologize." He promised to undergo anger management classes and customer service training.
Reactions
Antonio Moss expressed anger over the treatment of his mother, describing her as "the sweetest woman I've ever met." He believes Valentine should face consequences, saying, "Shut his business down. Share it, let the world see how much of a monster he is." However, Kimberly herself has chosen to move on and even wishes Valentine well, stating, "I want this person to be successful... and I also want him to be accountable for his behavior."
Valentine claims he has received death threats and that his business was delisted from Google. Both parties have contacted police and attorneys to seek a resolution.
