The Bigot Payback

The Bigot Payback? “Karen” Miya Ponsetto Sued

The Bigot Payback? “Karen” Miya Ponsetto Sued

So do you guys recall the girl who grabbed the black boy and accused him of stealing her phone? Then, ended up finding her phone a little while after?  Well we are talking about Miya Ponsetto, the Karen who racially profiled Keyon Harrold Jr. and accused him of stealing her iPhone, then sat in front of Gayle King and mouthed off like a lil brat.

Well, Miya is back in the news. Not only is she facing criminal charges stemming from December 2020 incident but now she is being sued in civil court by the Harrold family according to TMZ. Keyon Harrold Sr. The boy’s father, has filed paperwork against Ponsetto for assault/ battery, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress on behalf of the minor child. 

Bigot Payback?

Reports state that the family has also filed suit against the Arlo Hotel because their employees did little to deescalate. The group says the hotel should have done more to protect its guests. If you remember, the hotel manager had the audacity to ask Keyon Jr. for his phone to be inspected when Miya went on her rant after losing her device.

“You start with training your employees, with listening to every part of the story. De-escalation is key,” said Kat Rodriguez, Keyon Harrold Jr.’s mother.

“Violation of the human rights law. Instead of the Arlo Hotel condoning the actions of this woman, they did not condone racial profiling. In fact, they aiding and abetted racial profiling,” attorney Ben Crump said.

The Arlo Hotel said it has no comment on the lawsuit at this time. They have apologized for the incident in the past, adding the manager did call police regarding Ponsetto’s conduct.

Ponsetto is facing multiple charges in relation to the incident.

“Just being able to be free to come down to the lobby of a hotel and have brunch with his dad the day after Christmas. I want that to be a normalcy,” -Keyon Harrold Sr.

Meanwhile, Keyon Harrold Jr.’s parents say they’re trying to put on a brave face for the teenager. He continues to struggle with feelings of confusion and sadness, wondering why this experience happened to him.

He has been working through some of those feelings in therapy.

As for Ponsetto, she is due back in Manhattan Criminal Court on March 29. She has apologized and said the incident was not racially motivated.

The Harrold family disagrees and says they won’t stop until their son receives justice.

“Just being able to be free to come down to the lobby of a hotel and have brunch with his dad the day after Christmas. I want that to be a normalcy,” Keyon Harrold Sr. said.

They said they hope what happened will be a teachable moment in the court of public opinion, and in the court of law.

A lawyer for Ponsetto said she is at her home in California and has not been informed of any pending civil lawsuits.

We hope the Harrold family get the justice they deserve. We also hope they get the healing and this moment isn’t in vain. Instead is an opportunity for the Karen’s and their counterparts to do better.

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