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The Waterloo regional police arrested Amy McEnaney in relation to a hate-motivated incident that took place at DriveTest Centre in Kitchener, Ontario. This comes after she violently attacked a woman who was recording her for being a racist. The perpetrator’s identity was not initially revealed, however, internet users managed to find who she was through the internet. Netizens have since taken to Twitter to express shock over the incident.
On Wednesday at around 12:30 pm, Mifrah Abid confronted Amy McEnaney for being racist at the DriveTest Centre that is located in Ottawa Street. The victim took to Twitter to reveal that the latter said “f**king brown people.” After Abid confronted her for saying something “rude,” McEnaney attacked her and threw Abid’s phone towards her. Several bystanders went on to show support to Abid.
In a video taken by Abid, she can be heard telling Amy McEnaney:
“Everybody heard you here making a racist comment about Brown people… You said f**king Brown people. Ok, a lot of people heard that. I checked with others. It’s not nice. It’s not polite.”
Amy McEnaney went on to pounce at Abid.
In an interview with the Global News, Mifrah Abid revealed that she works with the Coalition of Muslim Women, who help victims who face similar circumstances. She revealed that she was caught off guard by the occurrence. She said:
“I deal with victims extensively, but when it happens to you, you’re never really prepared enough.”
Abid went on to add that she intended to report Amy McEnaney to another employee regarding the matter however, she did not get a chance.
Who is Amy McEnaney? Charges against the perpetrator revealed
Amy McEnaney’s identity was not initially revealed neither through social media nor news publications. Internet users then found her LinkedIn account, which revealed more information about her.
The 27-year-old studied at Grand River Collegiate Institute and graduated with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma.
She went on to work at Nick’s Auto Sales as a “photographer/ advertiser.” She then joined the Canadian Tire in October 2013 where she worked as a customer service associate. In June 2016, she joined the Amy Does Production where she worked as a lightning technician.
Global News revealed that McEnaney was arrested and faces numerous charges including assault with a weapon, assault and theft under $5000.
The Waterloo police also revealed that an investigation into the matter is ongoing. Const. Andre Johnson, a representative of law enforcement said:
“Any time we get a report of the heat motivated incident we do take it seriously.”
At the time of writing this article, McEnaney had not addressed the matter.
Netizens react to the viral DriveTest Centre video
Internet users were stunned by the occurrence and felt sympathetic towards the victim. Many hopes that McEnaney would be held accountable for her actions. A few reactions to the incident read:
Abid now urges victims of hate crimes to report them to the authorities. She also encourages people to refrain from being bystanders when such incidents occur.
