The last thing any woman wants to deal with is the uninvited attention of a man’s hand mysteriously finding its way onto her hind parts — especially if you’re a waitress just trying to finish your shift in the middle of the night. Ask a Savannah, Ga., waitress, weighing in at 115 pounds, who slammed her male fondler to the ground inside of a pizzeria after he unjustifiably grabbed her backside while on the job.
According to reports, Emelia Holden was nearing the end of her shift at 11:00 p.m. when a male wearing a red shirt walked by and felt her up. The surveillance footage, which has since gone viral, shows a ticked-off Holden pulling the man backward as he attempts to nonchalantly walk away before she proceeds to wrap her arm around his neck, then slams him into the ground — WWE style.
“You don’t touch me,” Holden can be seen yelling at her offender.
The video, with over 5 million views, was shared on June 30 by Holden’s cousin. According to the Times, the video has resulted in a flood of women reaching out to the waitress who have experienced similar incidents of harassment and assault.
“We deal with a lot,” Holden told the Times.
Miranda Rosenfelt, a 31-year-old former cook for Jackie’s restaurant in Silver Spring, Md., is one of many women who have been put in compromising positions within the serving industry, including rape.
Recounting her story to the Washington Post, Rosenfelt shared how she was instructed to help with inventory by her supervisor, “who had been harassing her for months.”
After walking into the basement, she said she found her former boss and attacker, “standing there with his pants on the floor, and his penis in his hands” blocking the exit.
“I felt cornered, and trapped and scared,” Rosenfelt said, who was forced to perform oral sex.
Her instincts told her to “not do anything, and wait for it to be over. Because that’s what will make me the safest,” according to the Post.
And despite the #Metoo movement forcing industries to re-examine their sexual-predatory behavior toward other individuals, particularly women, numbers show that the serving industry is lagging behind.
More than 60 servers and bartenders shared their experiences with the Times that included the offensive comments and harassment they were subjected to while working in the industry.
Holden, who has been working at Vinnie Van Go-Go’s pizzeria in downtown Savannah for a year and a half, had never been violated to the extent of what occurred last week or to that of Rosenfelt.
She told the Times that certain things she can tolerate, “but stuff like that, no.”
“My whole thing is respect,” she continued. “As long as you respect me, I’m going to respect you.”
