Last Wednesday, Mike Nguyen, owner of Noodle Tree, went on CNN to speak out against Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to lift the state’s mask mandate. Nguyen, who has battled cancer and closed his restaurant for six months had a hunch that things would not go well after his appearance.
“Greg Abbott doesn’t have the Texas people’s interest in mind. He cares about himself at this point,” Nguyen told CNN. “I was almost devastated when I heard the news just because this year has been tough on me. Not only dealing with the stress of my sickness, but also dealing with the stress that comes with COVID and the anxiety that comes with that.”
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After his appearance, Nguyen told the Washington Post he “was flooded with death threats, one-star online reviews and harassing messages.”
“I definitely know 100 percent it had something to do with the interview,” Nguyen said. “When you first see it, you’re kind of shocked, and then you realize this is real. Then, anger took over. I was so mad I ended up pacing back and forth trying to wrap my head around this.”
On Sunday, Nguyen woke up to messages alerting him that his restaurant had been covered with graffiti. When he got to the store, he counted at least seven spray painted phrases, including one urging him to “Go back 2 China” and another one reading “Hope u die.” Nguyen also found Trump’s disgusting phrase, “Kung Flu” a racist slur that Trump helped popularize during his campaign rallies and other appearances” spray painted in red on his restaurant’s windows.
The graffiti also delayed the restaurant’s opening on Sunday to 1 p.m.
It is unclear if any arrests have been made but Nguyen believes the incident is definitely a hate crime and wants police to investigate it as such.
