White Man Who Wore KKK Hood to Store Won't Face Charges

For some inexplicable reason, white people have responded to the pandemic by going full-racist. Between the xenophobic rhetoric directed towards Asian-Americans, busting out Confederate flags at anti-lockdown rallies, and trying to make Obamagate a thing, the 2A crowd has really been on one.

Last week, The Root reported on a man who wore what was clearly a Ku Klux Klan hood to a grocery store in Santee, Ca. According to NBC News, the man, who has yet to be identified, will not face charges. The San Diego Sheriff’s department, U.S Attorney’s Office and San Diego County District Attorney’s Office investigated the case and didn’t find enough evidence to file charges.

“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,’” said a statement released by the San Diego Sheriff’s Department.

Sure, Jan.

Despite saying there were no racial undertones to the Klan hood—I mean, “mask”—the sheriff’s department did cite the Supreme Court’s ruling that all speech, including hate speech, is protected under the law. They still added: “This 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.”

Surprisingly, this was not the only incident of mask-related hate speech in the city. The sheriff’s department responded to an incident last Thursday where a man wore a mask with a swastika on it at a Food 4 Less. Apparently, grocery stores are where white people feel the need to flex their racist ‘fits.

Santee Mayor John Minto released a video condemning the recent displays of racist garb. “The Santee City Council, its citizens and I stand resolute in our indignation of such displays,” Minto said.