If you're looking for someone who's meek or mostly silent about sharing their views on stories of discrimination and bigotry that seem to be ever-present in the news these days, do not count on T.I. to remain silent on such an issue. As per a report from TMZ out earlier this morning (October 8th), the rapper is making his voice heard after an Atlanta restaurant was supposedly making discriminatory decisions when it came to which clientele they would be serving.
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"Ok so I've heard 4 different stories from 4 different sources," said Tip in an Instagram post announcing the protest. "[...] Discrimination against US at 2 separate Houstons Steakhouse locations in my city. Tomorrow we get answers." He certainly wasn't joking either, basd on the videos he shared of the action from the center of protest that took place. He and many other Atlanta residents turned up to vocalize their displeasure with Houston's Restaurant, an establishment that has reportedly been turning away African-American customers by exercising their right not to serve them. Without a good reason for doing so, it's only natural that tempers would flare in this way.
“We have closed the Houston’s down for the moment, indefinitely,” Tips says, in an clip that he recorded at the protest. “When they figure out how to treat us, they can open back up.” For their part, the restaurant chain posted a rebuttal on Instagram as well, responding to the allegations of discriminating against certain members of their customers base by saying: “We have employed a diverse and hard-working staff serving Atlanta’s similar diverse clientele for many years." They continued by saying that, not only are the charges in the court of public opinion false, but that the truth has been twisted by those who seek to smear their brand. “Charges of discrimination are not only unfounded but are an intentional manipulation using social media. Our policies and guidelines apply equally to everyone.”
This isn't the only recent example of T.I. speaking his mind on a controversial issue. Last week, he commented on the state of gun control in the United States by saying, "I think there should be, like, mental evaluations. The same for people running for president, by the way."