Hanes Hummus owner calls out Toronto mayoral hopeful over alleged racist remark referencing George Floyd

An Ontario business owner is speaking out after allegedly being subjected to racist remarks by a Toronto mayoral hopeful, comments that included a reference to the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

Yohannes Petros, founder and owner of Hanes Hummus, told Now Toronto the incident was captured on video and took place at the Toronto National Home Show in March, where he was working as a vendor.

@haneshummus “George Floyd… at a home show?” At a large public show in Toronto, in the middle of a normal interaction at my booth, a customer said to me: “remember what happened with George Floyd…” The conversation didn’t just go off track, it was taken somewhere else entirely. Into something that had nothing to do with what I was doing, but everything to do with who I am. I’m a Black man. There’s no distance for me in a reference like that. It doesn’t land as neutral. It lands with context, whether it’s acknowledged or not. And what stays with you isn’t just the words. It’s how easily they were said. In a crowded,public, professional environment. In front of other people. Without hesitation. That kind of comfort doesn’t come from nowhere. I spend a lot of time in spaces like this doing the work to be taken seriously and respected. That’s built over time, through consistency, professionalism, and how you carry yourself. And then a moment like this cuts through it. Not because it erases the work, but because it shows how quickly the dynamic can shift. How easily the interaction stops being about what’s in front of you, and becomes something else entirely. I stayed composed. I acted professionally. But that response was shaped by the room, not by what the moment deserved. Don’t mistake composure for acceptance. There’s also a broader reality here. Doing this work often means being in spaces where I don’t see many people who look like me, whether that’s other founders or even customers. And most of the time, nothing is said outright. It shows up in other ways. In how people don’t approach you. In how they hold back. In tone, body language, and neutral reactions. It’s subtle. But consistent enough that you learn to recognize it. So when something like this happens, it doesn’t stand on its own. It confirms everything you’ve already learned to recognize and what you’re actually dealing with. #haneshummus #blackentrepreneur #professionalboundaries ♬ original sound – Hanes Hummus

Petros said a man later identified as Jason Stevens approached his booth, immediately drawing attention.

“From the moment he arrived, he was very loud and trying to draw attention to himself. It stood out to me right away, I knew something wasn’t right,” Petros said.

Stevens, a former city council candidate, has indicated on social media that he plans to run in the 2026 municipal election, possibly for mayor.

According to Petros, the interaction escalated quickly. As Stevens sampled the hummus, some of it began falling onto the floor. When Petros pointed it out, Stevens responded by saying he would “put his foot on it,” before referencing George Floyd, who was killed in 2020 when former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes during an arrest.

“I’ll just put my foot down, like remember what happened to George Floyd?,” Stevens can be heard saying in the video.

Petros immediately pushed back.

“I wouldn’t have used that reference,” he said.

The video of the exchange has since garnered more than 800,000 views on TikTok.

Petros described the remarks as “incredibly racist and disparaging,” to the Black community, adding that the incident reflects a broader social climate.

“This is the result of the climate that we’re living in where people feel safe and arrogant to come up unprovoked, while somebody is serving them,” he said.

He added that learning Stevens may run for public office made the incident even more troubling.

“He’s not qualified. He lacks dignity, he lacks leadership, and anyone running for public office, or anyone who’s a member of any community, needs to be exposed for who they really are, and that has happened,” he said. 

Now Toronto reached out to Stevens for comment but did not receive a response before publication.

Petros said Stevens has since contacted him by email following the video going viral, though he has not read the message.

“I can assume what it says. I wouldn’t accept his apology, let’s just say that,” he said.

Despite the incident, Petros says the response online has been overwhelmingly supportive. Though he waited two months before posting the video, he believes sharing it was important.

“They need to see and hear us. This kind of behaviour happens, and I’m fortunate that I caught it on video,” he said. “Speaking up is not easy, but if you do, people will support and uphold you, and that’s my message.”