Local shoppers at a San Diego area grocery store were stunned to see a man wandering around the supermarket pushing a shopping cart while ...
Local shoppers at a San Diego area grocery store were stunned to see a man wandering around the supermarket pushing a shopping cart while wearing a white Ku Klux Klan hood over his head.
The incident took place on Saturday at the Vons location in Santee, a suburb that lies about 20 miles northeast of San Diego.
Last week, San Diego County mandated that all residents wear face coverings to combat the spread of coronavirus, though this shopper likely wore the hood to provoke locals in the community.
Vons employees at the location on Mission Gorge Road noticed the man and approached him, demanding that he remove the hood or leave the store.
Shoppers at a supermarket in suburban San Diego were shocked to see a man wearing a white Ku Klux Klan hood on Saturday
The man was told several times by store employees to remove the hood, but he refused
Images of the man inside the Vons supermarket in Santee, California, circulated on social media, igniting outrage
The man in the Klan hood is seen above getting some fruit during his shopping trip on Saturday
But the man refused and continued shopping.
As he stood at the checkout line, a store supervisor approached him once again and demanded that he take off the hood or leave, a spokesperson for Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions stores told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
The man eventually removed the hood and purchased his items. He then left without incident.
Santee Mayor John Minto told the Union-Tribune that the San Diego County Sheriff's Department has launched an investigation.
The department confirmed to DailyMail.com that its detectives are 'looking into the matter' and will pursue 'any appropriate' criminal charges.
Vons released a statement to DailyMail.com which read: ‘At Vons, fostering an environment of courtesy, dignity, and respect is one of our highest priorities, and we work hard to hold everyone in our stores to these standards, including customers.
‘Unfortunately, an alarming and isolated incident occurred at our Vons store in Santee, where a customer chose an inflammatory method of wearing a face covering.
‘Needless to say, it was shocking.
A store supervisor approached the man while he waited on line at the checkout counter and demanded that he remove the hood or leave the store
The man removed the hood, completed his purchase, and left the Vons store in Santee (seen above) without incident
‘Several members of our team asked the customer to remove it, and all requests were ignored until the customer was in the checkout area.
‘This was a disturbing incident for our associates and customers, and we are reviewing with our team how to best handle such inappropriate situations in the future.’
Images of the man in his hood circulated on social media. He was also photographed without the hood.
The man, a middle-age Caucasian, was seen with long hair wrapped in a pony-tail. He was wearing a camo t-shirt and black shorts.
The images of the man in the white hood ignited outrage on social media, prompting public officials and anti-hate groups to condemn the incident.
Minto praised the Vons employees who stepped in and demanded that the customer remove the offensive hood.
‘Many thanks to all who stepped forward to curtail this sad reminder of intolerance,’ the mayor said.
John Minto, the mayor of Santee, praised the Vons employees who stepped in and demanded that the customer remove the offensive hood
‘This was a disturbing incident for our associates and customers, and we are reviewing with our team how to best handle such inappropriate situations in the future,' Vons said in response to angry social media users
‘Santee, its leaders and I will not tolerate such behavior.’
San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacobs said: '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.'
‘San Diego is #NoPlaceForHate,’ Tammy Gillies, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in the San Diego area, said on Twitter.
On Twitter, the reaction was scathing. Locals indicated that the area has a history with hate groups active nearby.
‘Anyone from San Diego would expect this s*** from Santee,’ tweeted Ryan Miriyev.
One Twitter user called the man ‘a real dunce cap.’
‘Disgusting,’ commented Mark Dunlop.
Tara Palmer tweeted: ‘I grew up in Santee. It doesn't surprise me at all. White trash central lol.’
Another Twitter user remarked: ‘Also grew up in santee. Not surprised.’
One Twitter user commented: ‘I live in Coastal San Diego and this is the reason people don’t venture East to Santee or as we called it growing up “Klantee”.
‘They should have stopped him at the Door, he should never been allowed in or to get a cart.
‘Wtf Vons explain yourself.’
Some on Twitter expressed anger at the supermarket, vowing never to shop there again.
‘Wow,’ one Twitter user tweeted.
‘It’s appalling and completely unacceptable.
‘I just came from a Vons. I won’t be shopping there again.
‘Disgusting.’
But another Twitter user, Jason Barritt, came to the town’s defense, saying that it has worked to shed its image as a haven for racists.
‘Santee is usually not like this now a days,’ Barritt tweeted.
One Twitter user commented: ‘I live in Coastal San Diego and this is the reason people don’t venture East to Santee or as we called it growing up “Klantee”.'
‘Anyone from San Diego would expect this s*** from Santee,’ tweeted Ryan Miriyev.
One Twitter user commented: 'Also grew up in Santee. Not surprised'
Tara Palmer tweeted: ‘I grew up in Santee. It doesn't surprise me at all. White trash central lol.’
But another Twitter user, Jason Barritt, came to the town’s defense, saying that it has worked to shed its image as a haven for racists
Another Twitter user claimed that KKK flyers were distributed in town earlier this year
Mark Dunlop posted a tweet calling the incident in Santee 'disgusting'
'Yep a real dunce cap,' Twitter user Sue Stroud commented on Sunday
Another Twitter user vowed never to stop at Vons over the 'appalling and completely unacceptable' incident on Saturday
‘Sometimes this scum sneaks in.’
Last year, officials in Santee hired a Tennessee-based marketing firm to help improve the town’s image.
Santee, a town of 60,000 tucked into a corner of East San Diego County in Southern California, has experienced a development boom in recent decades.
But it is also in the midst of an effort to rebrand itself as a welcoming community for all after being known for unflattering nicknames like ‘Klantee’ and ‘Santucky.’
Santee has a reputation of being a hotbed of racist activity.
The most high-profile hate crime took place in 1998, when five white men left an African American Marine paralyzed after breaking his neck during an alcohol-fueled ambush at a party.
Despite California's image as a liberal haven, it has also historically been home to several active hate organizations, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In Southern California, the Ku Klux Klan has held rallies and demonstrations over the course of decades.
In April of last year, a 19-year-old gunman believed to have been motivated by far-right ideology killed one worshipper and wounded three others at a synagogue in Poway, just outside of San Diego.
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