January 03, 2024
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Rita Bellew, 56, was sentenced to probation and community service for her racist rant last February at Amy's Family Pizzeria in Hatboro (above). She must also write a letter of apology.
A Hatboro woman who went on a racist tirade against the owner of a local pizza shop last winter has been sentenced to 90 days of probation and must write a letter of apology, a Montgomery County judge ruled in December.
Rita Bellew, 56, was seen in a viral video last February that showed her arguing with the owner of Amy's Family Pizzeria. Bellew demanded a refund from the shop after she became upset about a TV with a Spanish-language show playing behind the counter.
"What's wrong with that?" owner Omar Quiñonez asked Bellew as one of his employees filmed the exchange on a phone.
"What's wrong with that is you're not American, dude," Bellew answered. "I will look you the f*** up and get you the f*** out of our town, OK? F*** you. Give me my money back."
The video of the Feb. 23 exchange quickly went viral on TikTok, Reddit and X, formerly Twitter, and garnered national attention with millions of views. At one point in the video, Bellew accused Quiñonez of being an illegal immigrant. She also pulled out her own phone and began recording the encounter when the Amy's employee who was filming her called her racist. Bellew shouted that the employees at Amy's were bullying and videotaping her "because I am white."
The video ends just as police arrived at the pizza shop on the 300 block of South York Road. The shop tried to give an officer cash for Bellew's refund, but she insisted she wanted to be reimbursed on her credit card because she didn't want "dirty money" from the restaurant, authorities said.
Bellew was initially charged with ethnic intimidation but reached a plea agreement that included a summary charge of harassment. During her sentencing on Dec. 14, Judge Risa Vetri Ferman ordered Bellew to stay away from Amy's Family Pizzeria and to write an apology letter. Bellew also was ordered to complete eight hours of community service.
In November, Bellew attempted to have her case transferred to Montgomery County's Behavioral Health Court. Her request was denied after a psychological evaluation determined she did not have a severe mental illness, the Pottstown Mercury reported.
Bellew told the Inquirer last March that she was "profoundly sorry" about the way she behaved and said she had been distressed by recent medical issues.
In the aftermath of the video, Amy's received an outpouring of community support and donations on GoFundMe.
“We have to learn how to respect other people no matter what, what they believe, what they do, how they think," Quiñonez told WHYY.
