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Comedian W. Kamau Bell Says He Was Racially Profiled At Berkeley Restaurant

BERKELEY (CBS SF) -- Bay Area comedian W. Kamau Bell said Thursday night that what happened to him a a well-known Berkeley restaurant wasn't funny.

Bell, an African-American comic who hosted "Totally Biased" on FX claims an employee at the Elmwood Cafe racially profiled him when she told him to "scram" while he was talking to his wife, who is white, and her friends at an outdoor table there.

Michael Pearce, Elmwood's owner, spoke to KPIX 5 Thursday night.

"I'm horrified," he said. "I think it's just awful that someone could come here and have an experience like that. I really want to hear from [Bell] and what we can do to move forward and do something about this situation," Pearce added.

Bell blogged Thursday that he and his wife talked to Pearce and they've decided to have a public conversation but are not calling for anyone to be fired or for a boycott of the establishment.

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