A man in Santee, California, outraged many by wearing a white Ku Klux Klan hood while grocery shopping under new coronavirus guidelines requiring customers to wear face masks.
The man entered a Vons grocery store over the weekend wearing the white hood. Representatives from the store ordered him to take off the hood or leave the store. He agreed to remove the hood, made his purchases, and left without further incident. The shopping trip occurred a day after a countywide order mandated residents wear masks in grocery stores.
A KKK hood worn openly at a Vons in Santee, CA, near San Diego.
The area’s been a hub of white supremacist and skinhead activity for many years, earning the nickname Klantee. pic.twitter.com/uB5ai0wETB
— Nico Pitney (@nicopitney) May 3, 2020
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said on Monday that it is investigating to see whether wearing the hood could be considered a hate crime. Spokesman Lt. Ricardo Lopez said the department “will pursue any appropriate criminal charges” if the incident is found to have risen to the level of a hate crime.
“The Sheriff’s Department does not condone hate or any acts of intolerance in our communities,” the department stated. “We are a county that is welcoming of people from all backgrounds.”
County Supervisor Dianne Jacob also condemned the man for wearing the hood, writing, “The images I’ve seen are abhorrent. This blatant racism has no place in Santee or any part of San Diego County. It is not who we are. It is not what we stand for and can’t be tolerated.”
Santee Mayor John Minto thanked the store for its decision to intervene quickly after seeing the man, saying, “Many thanks to all who stepped forward to curtail this sad reminder of intolerance. Santee, its leaders, and I will not tolerate such behavior.”
UPDATE: On Monday, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department announced that it would not be pressing charges against the man in question. The department stated, “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.’”
