Man who wore KKK hood in grocery store says it wasn’t a ‘racial statement’

A man who wore a Ku Klux Klan-style hood in a San Diego-area grocery store will not be charged with a hate crime.

The incident took place on May 2, in a Vons grocery store in Santee, California.

READ MORE: California man in KKK hood while grocery shopping sparks investigation

According to witnesses, the man refused to remove the hood despite being asked by store employees and management. Photos of the man shopping in the symbol of racial hatred quickly went viral on social media.

A man wearing a makeshift Ku Klux Klan hood was photographed shopping at a store in Santee, Calif. https://t.co/MrHX4lXUtK pic.twitter.com/6SvOsgDp0M

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 4, 2020

In a statement from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, “The man expressed frustration with the coronavirus and having people tell him what he can and cannot do. He said that wearing the hood was not intended to be a racial statement. In summary, he said, ‘It was a mask and it was stupid.'”

The sheriff’s office said that they, the U.S. attorney’s office and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office investigated and found “insufficient evidence” to charge the man.

Following the incident, Santee Mayor, John Minto released a statement saying, “Santee, its leaders, and I will not tolerate such behavior. Santee and its citizens are great, and this particular individual’s actions are not representative of us as a people and a wonderful city.”

The sheriff’s department statement further read that the incident should “serve as a reminder for anyone contemplating wearing or displaying items so closely associated with hate and human suffering that our society does not hold in high regard those who do so.”

READ MORE: Joe Biden links Trump and KKK in speech condemning hate

According to the Times of San Diego, one eyewitness to the incident said that the man was standing behind her in line, she took a photo of him and said that “a man in a wheelchair [went] past and saluted him and he laughed.”

Santee has a history of white supremacists and skinhead activities that have earned it the nickname of ‘Klantee’.

While the sheriff’s department declined to press charges, in their statement they said, “Santee is a city of families, and the community is rightfully disgusted at this man’s despicable behavior.”

The post Man who wore KKK hood in grocery store says it wasn’t a ‘racial statement’ appeared first on TheGrio.

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Georgia reopens case of couple murdered in church due to DNA evidence

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is reopening the case of the 1985 murders of Harold Swain and his wife, Thelma Swain. The couple was shot inside the Rising Daughter Baptist Church during bible study.

35 years ago, witnesses stated that the killer was a white man, who walked into the church and aggressively confronted Harold who was a church deacon. Now authorities are wondering if they nabbed the wrong man.

READ MORE: Online pages emerge in support of Ahmaud Arbery murder suspects

Investigative reporting performed by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that the man who was convicted of the crime, Dennis Perry, is not a match for the DNA evidence found at the scene. This DNA was collected off of a pair of glasses. Independent researchers tested the glasses and discovered that the match was for someone in the family line of a different suspect, Erik Sparre.

Dennis Perry Mugshot

The Georgia Innocence Project and the King & Spalding law firm recently filed for a new trial for Perry. Perry has maintained his innocence for 20 years.

The Swain couple’s murder was a cold case for over 15 years before Perry’s arrest in 2000. In many ways the couple’s murder became a pop culture interest, even being featured on Unsolved Mysteries.

However, in 2018 on the investigative podcast, Undisclosed made a shocking discovery. The episode revealed that a key witness in the trial was paid $12,000 in reward money for her testimony.

This news prompted the AJC to do their own research on the case.

According to Joshua Sharpe, one of their investigative reporter for the newspaper, a 6,000-page investigative file was examined to find the truth. He also listened to a 24-hour-plus podcast about the case. He interviewed dozens of people, including Perry and former suspect Sparre, as well as with investigators who worked the case, relatives of the victims, and many others.

READ MORE: Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker mourns cousin Ahmaud Arbery

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will review the case after being asked to do so by the Brunswick County District Attorney Jackie Johnson. She requested the case to be reopened more than six weeks after learning of the new DNA evidence.

Johnson may have additional motivation to investigate the crime. She is the same DA who recused herself in the prosecution of Gregory McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael who shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery in February.

The post Georgia reopens case of couple murdered in church due to DNA evidence appeared first on TheGrio.

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Trump Is So Obsessed With Being Loved That He’s Willing to Steal Praise He Didn’t Earn

I think it was his mother. It had to be.

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Sheryl Lee Ralph has played everyone from a Dreamgirl to Moesha’s stepmom to the president

The actor: With an eclectic career that dates back to 1977, Sheryl Lee Ralph has already accumulated enough stories to last a couple of lifetimes. There simply isn’t much that she hasn’t done, hopping seamlessly from the Broadway stage (which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Dreamgirls) to television, to film,…

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House Democrats to Unveil Plan to Distribute $1,200 Stimulus Checks in New $3 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Fund

In March, President Donald Trump signed the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, into law. As a part of the Act, many Americans were hopeful that the $1,200 stimulus checks would be helpful as the nation adjusts to the economic shifts due to the impact of COVID-19. Unfortunately, there are millions of Americans who have yet to receive relief funds and it has been reported that some who have, already need additional assistance. In response, U.S. House Democrats are reported to unveil a $3 trillion relief fund this Friday.

A recent article by The Hill outlined the plans Democrats have for the second round of coronavirus relief funds. As proposed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the fund would make provisions for another round of stimulus payments to individuals and essential workers, funding for food assistance, state and local government, and a contingency plan to allow Americans to vote by mail in the November elections.

During an address at the Capitol regarding the fund, Pelosi said, “We must think big for the people now, because if we don’t it will cost more in lives and livelihood later.”

Despite the dire needs of Americans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) believes that the House should wait out the decision to provide people with additional relief until lawmakers have an adequate amount of time to review the implementation of measures already in place, as reported by The Hill.

Under the proposed Democratic bill, here is what American’s would receive:

• Individuals would receive another $1,200.
• Up to $6,000 in relief funds per household.
• An additional $600 a week in unemployment insurance payments past the July end date to January.
• $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service to help make up for lost revenue due to the pandemic.
• $75 billion for coronavirus testing.
• Business grants for employers of essential workers to pay more.

In addition to the newly proposed relief fund, The House will be voting on working and voting remotely as they seek to find solutions for Americans.

Read the full story here.

 

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