Georgia state rep, Erica Thomas, claimed a white man told her to “go back where you came from” during a confrontation in a supermarket express lane. The story went viral, accusing the man Eric Sparkes of racism; however, his denial of the statement during a television news interview with 11Alive featuring Thomas has jogged her memory of what was actually said.
In a recent interview, Thomas acknowledged that she did not recall exactly what Sparkes had said to her that day. “He said, ‘go back,’ you know, those types of words,” Thomas said. “I don’t wanna say he said ‘go back to your country,’ or ‘go back to where you came from,’ but he was making those types of references, is what I remember.”
When a reporter asked, “So, you don’t remember exactly what he said?” Thomas answered: “No, no, definitely not. But I know it was ‘go back,’ because I know I told him to ‘go back.'”
The incident comes right after national controversy over Donald Trump’s remarks directed at four progressive Democrats, recently making their rounds on social media.
During the news interview, Sparkes asked Thomas, “Did I say that? Is it on video?” He acknowledged calling Thomas “a lazy b**ch” because she had too many items in the express checkout lane, but he denied the incident was racially motivated.
Sparkes later told WSB-TV that despite Thomas’ claim that he’s white, he is of Cuban descent and a Democrat. Sparkes said he believes Thomas’ accusations were politically motivated.
