‘Who Gave You Permission’: Customer Says Security Guard Ordered Him to Leave Somali Restaurant

A man went to eat at a restaurant serving Somali food in the U.S., but after allegedly being recognized by a security guard there, he was told he needed to leave. The man, David Khait, a social media influencer who, according to his X profile (@David_Khait), likes to "investigate events & places around America," shared the clip on his X account.

In the video, a man whom Khait identifies as the property owner says, "If you want America, it's right over there," while pointing to the sidewalk. While Khait attempts to explain that they are currently in America, the security guard doesn't want to hear it, and things escalate even further. The video captures the following exchange.

Man Says Restaurant Patrons Confronted Him After Visit to Somali Restaurant

Khait begins the clip by explaining that "the plan was to eat some Somali food," but after coming across one location with an "unsafe conditions" notice plastered on the wall, they decided to go elsewhere. That's when he and the person he was with stumbled across another restaurant.

After ordering food and sitting outside the restaurant to enjoy it, he was approached by a man who he claims is a security guard, and he tells him to turn off his recording. Khait responds, "Oh, well, we're in public space right now," but the guard tells him he's not and says, "This is our property. You need to leave now."

Khait tells him that once he's informed he's trespassing, they'll leave. Meanwhile, he points to another man in the video whom he identifies as the restaurant owner and appears to be trying to calm the security guard down, not make them leave.

The guard continues telling Khait that "the last time you were in here, you been telling us wrong." He continues to explain that he doesn't care about Khait's media and insists that Khait "is wrong."

It appears the guard was offended by something Khait may have done in the past, or thought he did, and now that he's back for food and recording, the guard isn't having it. At one point, he even tells Khait, "Somali people are better than you guys."

The back and forth continues a little more before the guard asks Khait, "Who gave you permission to be here?" to which Khait replies, "I don't need permission." Khait then tells the guard, "It's America, buddy. That's not how it works." But by the time he returned to his car, more people, including women, come outside and can be heard yelling at him. He eventually ends the video, sarcastically saying, "Thanks for showing us Somali culture."

While some people argued Khait "provoked" the owner, others in the comments suggested he wasn't treated properly as a paying customer.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the encounter. The article is based on video shared by Khait and the claims he made in his post.