A Noblesville, Indiana, woman has filed for a protective order against the manager of a local cafe after an altercation that led to her being removed from the establishment. Michelle Wallpe, 49, stated that she was asked to leave Uptown Cafe on August 22 after expressing fear over a 15-year-old server wearing a hijab and questioning if the cafe was "run by Muslims."
Wallpe documented the incident in a video posted to her Facebook page, which has since been deleted. She described her interaction with the waitress, stating, "I just asked the waitress, is this place run by Muslims by any chance? Because I just was curious, I got a bad vibe when I walked in there... they like, scare me, so I just was curious." Wallpe recounted that after her question, she was served by cafe manager Alex Bevins, 37, who she described as "really rude." Wallpe then asked Bevins if she was alright, prompting the manager to tell her to leave and that she was not welcome back.
Bevins provided her own account in a video, explaining that she banned Wallpe due to her "racist" comments to the young server, identified as Aisha. Bevins stated, "in the moment, I felt something needed to be done" and that the cafe community has shown significant support for Aisha. She later posted on Facebook that "there is no place for racism, hatred, or discrimination at Uptown" and that she would always "stand up for them and make sure they know they are valued, supported, and protected."
Midwest woman seeks protective order against cafe that kicked her out for saying sight of Muslim waitress, 15, in hijab 'scared her' ![Michelle Wallpe, 49, has sought a protective order against the manager of an independent cafe after she was kicked out for saying the sight of a teenage Muslim waitress had 'scared' her]( "Michelle Wallpe, 49, has sought a protective order against the manager of an independent cafe after she was kicked out for saying the sight of a teenage Muslim waitress had 'scared' her')
Wallpe has since filed for a protective order against Bevins, claiming in her petition that the manager began "yelling" at her before asking her to leave. Wallpe stated she paid her bill and left, later posting her video. She alleges that Bevins "perpetuated the harassment" and made "harassing comments" by "exploiting my fears and even posted an image of me at my Catholic Church wearing a hijab." Wallpe called this action "hugely insulting and immature not to mention unprofessional."
In her petition, Wallpe also referenced incidents in Dearborn, Michigan, to justify her fear of Muslim people. She wrote, "Please understand that our American laws are for all of us. Being scared isn't a crime and isn't hateful. If you follow American laws, you will not be feared or hated."
Uptown Cafe manager Alex Bevins, 37, said that she had banned Wallpe from her cafe over her 'racist' comments to a 15-year-old server named Aisha. Bevins is pictured above on the right in an image shared in support of Aisha, who is shown on the left
Wallpe has since filed for a protective order against Bevins, court documents show
Independent establishment Uptown Cafe is located in Noblesville, Indiana
