4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS YPSILANTI Beer Cooler employees assault Black woman An Ypsilanti convenience store was closed following an Aug. 31 altercation involving a fight inside the store which was recorded on video. The video of the fight between two employees and a female customer spread on social media and caused concern about violence against the unhoused and mentally ill. The resulting uproar caused the Beer Cooler at 22 S. Washington St. in downtown Ypsilanti to close pending investigation. Online records showed that police were investigating a report of vandalism and simple assault at the shop’s location. Ypsilanti Police Chief Timothy Anderson declined to comment on the incident, citing the investigation as still open and ongoing. “Every member of our community deserves to feel safe, valued and treated with dignity, regardless of the circumstances,” Ypsilanti Mayor Nicole Brown wrote on Facebook. “The video of this incident has been circulated broadly, and the visual is disturbing. Please be mindful of what you are watching and take care of yourself.” Brown said she had been in contact with the store owner and they discussed accountability and taking steps toward repairing the community. The City of Ypsilanti released a statement about the incident as well, asking for the public to be patient while police investigate the incident. In the video circulating online, which lasts less than a minute, a woman is seen throwing items in the store while cursing. Moments later a male employee grabs the woman. The two employees, both men, and the woman are then seen in the video wildly flailing at each other before she is thrown to the ground. One employee is recorded dragging her out of the store while another picks up a wooden stick and briefly holds it up like he is about to swing. He lowers the stick after making eye contact with the camera recording him. The woman is dragged out of the store as she continues to kick at the employees and call them bitches. Someone is heard calling 911 in the background as the woman is dragged out. The video ends with the woman on the sidewalk outside the shop, appearing to spit at the employees. Someone is also heard laughing during the ordeal. Community organizers have been vocalizing their concerns about the incident. “Let me say this loud and clear. What happened at the Beer Cooler is a reflection of the unsafe environment we have for black women around here,” Trische’ Duckworth, executive MIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 director of Survivors Speak, wrote on Facebook. “As a black woman, I don’t feel like my safety is important to the men of our community. Heck, my biggest bullies in this work have been men in this county. Not all, but many. Seeing this woman get beat like that, followed by all the dumb comments, makes me feel even less safe.” Several social media posts circulated stating there would be a protest at the Sept. 9 Ypsilanti City Council meeting regarding the incident at the store. Glen Page, Groundcover vendor No. 407, who grew up in Washtenaw County like myself, told me about the incident. I went to downtown Ypsilanti to sell papers at 4 p.m. when I ran into Glen. He said I just missed a protest at the Beer Cooler. He explained what happened and we both expressed our feelings on the situation. Two days after the assault, Sept. 2, I drove by the Beer Cooler to see if the store was open. A crowd of people was outside of the storefront with cellphone cameras in hand, along with the owner of the Beer Cooler. I parked my car and got out to get pictures when I ran into someone I knew who shared the video with me. The very next morning, I ran into the victim of the assault in downtown Ann Arbor. I told her I was from Groundcover News and I asked her for an interview. After she got done lighting her cigarette, she politely declined my request. I noticed she had visual face swelling as I wished her well. I also asked the Beer Cooler store owner for an interview or statement, but he declined. Tuesday, September 9, “Women on the Move,” led by local business owner Mrs. Chapman, held a protest in front of City Hall before the scheduled Ypsilanti City Council meeting where protesters held up signs saying “Enough is Enough." Mrs. Chapman and “Women on the Move" attended the City Council meeting and voiced their concerns, and asked for a resolution to be brought before council to protect Black women, the unhoused and the mentally ill. No resolution has since been enacted. On Sept. 10, two employees at the OCTOBER 3, 2025 Women on the Move protested on Sept. 9 at Ypsilanti City Hall in response to the treatment of the woman at the Beer Cooler. Ypsilanti Beer Cooler were charged by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office in connection with the physical altercation that occurred on August 31, 2025. The Ypsilanti Police Department investigated the case, with the results of the investigation leading to the charges against the two employees. Two weeks after the incident, the store reopened.
5 Publizr Home