#LaughingWhileBlack is a Crime in Napa Valley [View all]

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My husband and I were just up there in June, though we've never done this train trip. Considering that Napa is still suffering from the effects of the earthquake a year ago, they should be happy they have any business. Part of downtown still looks like a drone hit it.

http://www.wearyourvoicemag.com/laughingwhileblack-is-a-crime-in-napa-valley/

However, things took a sour turn as they were riding towards St. Helena, when the maître d’hotel confronted them about ‘being too loud’ and threatened them off the train. In an article on the Napa Valley Register, Johnson said the maître d’hotel made the decision because ‘people’s faces looked uncomfortable”

“She said people were complaining and I said, ‘Who’s complaining?’ And she said, ‘Well, people’s faces are uncomfortable,’” said Johnson. “At that point, one passenger nearby said, ‘Well, this is not a bar.’ We reacted, ‘Yes, it is a bar, a bar on wheels.'”

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The women received a full refund of their trip, although it’s unlikely that they will use it after the humiliation and poor treatment they received on their first ride. The crew are still weighing out whether or not they will go forward with a lawsuit or a civil rights complaint.

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The police left within minutes of the women getting off the train, and they were given a bus shuttle back to Napa. Shortly after the incident, the Napa Velley Wine Train posted their side of the story to social media which they later deleted–there were no accounts of any physical abuse towards any staff or guests.

Lisa, one of the women, was interviewed on the radio this am on my way to work. They even checked YouTube for videos of people on the wine train, and of course, there are several of white people laughing and not being hushed and kicked off. Shame, wine train!