A video calling for a boycott of Chinese food has gone viral on social media, days after a South Carolina jury acquitted a convenience store owner in the 2023 shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton. The clip has reignited debate over the verdict.
The viral video
The video was shared by the X account @ClownWorld and shows a woman in a car addressing “brown sisters and brothers” and announcing, “We’re boycotting Chinese food now.” She framed the call as a response to the acquittal, saying that “if somebody can kill one of us then get away with it,” a boycott was the answer. At the end of the clip, she said she was “boycottin’ Chinese food” and asked viewers, “How about you?”
The post went viral days after a Richland County jury found convenience store owner Chikei Rick Chow not guilty of murder. Carmack-Belton’s mother had also urged community members to boycott Asian-owned businesses where they felt Black customers were treated with suspicion, saying people should not “spend [their] dollar” in stores where they feel watched, per The State.
However, the video has not been independently verified by Ht.com.
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Replies under the video were largely dismissive and mocking. One user wrote, “Okay that just means there ain’t going to be a line at any Chinese restaurant, that’s fine with me I can get in and get my food quicker.”
Another commented, “We should start. Oh wait, they have nothing of substance to boycott.” A third wrote, “Boycott all black-owned businesses. Two can play this game!”
“How do we get them to boycott us? Someone please tell them how horrible they are.” wrote another.
What happened- The case behind the boycott
In 2023, Chow, 61, shot Cyrus Carmack-Belton, a 14-year-old Black teenager, in the back after chasing him from his convenience store in Columbia, South Carolina. Prosecutors said Chow wrongly believed the teen had stolen four bottles of water and chased him more than 130 yards from the store before shooting him. Investigators later determined Carmack-Belton had not stolen anything, according to CNN.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Gipson placed a bottle of water in front of jurors and said Chow “at the end of the day, believed that a human is not more than that.” He added that Chow “chased a kid down, shot him in the back” Multiple witnesses testified they did not see anything in Carmack-Belton’s hands as he ran. “Nobody testified that happened that doesn’t have the last name Chow,” Gipson told jurors, per AP.
Chow’s defense argued he fired to protect his son after the teen pointed a gun at him. “This case is not about a shoplifter. This case is about a father who sees a gun pointed at his son and had to make a decision,” defense attorney Shaun Kent told jurors, per AP.
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The verdict and its aftermath
On Monday, the jury found Chow not guilty of murder. After the verdict was read, sobs and cries could be heard from Carmack-Belton’s family in the gallery. Chow sat silently before slowly bowing his head onto his hands. Defense lawyer Jack Swerling said they were pleased with the verdict but felt for the family. “My heart goes out to them, but 14-year-old kid should not be roaming the streets of Columbia or South Carolina with a semiautomatic pistol loaded and ready to fire,” he said, per AP.
Carmack-Belton’s family said they did not agree with the verdict. Attorney Todd Rutherford, standing beside the teen’s father, told reporters: “This makes us feel as if our children don’t matter and they do. This makes us feel like Cyrus’ life didn’t matter and it did.” He announced plans to pursue a civil lawsuit, adding: “I’ve been practicing law for almost 30 years. I’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t understand it,” per AP.
