Images of a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood as a face covering inside a Santee Vons have circulated on social media, prompting condemnation from local leaders including the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Shoppers took multiple photos of the man with and without his hood while he was inside the store located at 9643 Mission Gorge Rd. on Saturday.
A company spokesperson said grocery store workers repeatedly asked the man to remove the hood, but all requests were ignored until he was in the checkout area.
"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," said Melissa Hill, spokesperson for Vons, Albertsons and Pavilions stores in Southern California. "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."
Local leaders also condemned the man in the circulating images.
Anti-Defamation League San Diego Regional Director Tammy Gillies said, "It’s shocking yet not surprising that even during these challenging times, we see people emboldened to express hate. History teaches us that during times of crisis people are looking for a scapegoat."
"During these times of COVID-19 we have seen the AAP I community be targeted, as well as other minority communities, including an uptick in anti-Semitism. We are here for the community 24/7 and hope the San Diego community will come together and reaffirm that San Diego is no place for hate," Gillies told NBC 7.
San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob 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."
Santee Mayor John Minto said in part, "The citizens and Vons employees took steps to address the situation. Many thanks to all who stepped forward to curtail this sad reminder of intolerance. 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 store’s employees are represented by Local 135 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.
"The members at Vons #1897 are awesome, work their butts off to keep Santee residents stocked up and I know that this person does not speak for the community," President Todd Walters told NBC 7. "I am disgusted with this behavior! It's bad enough that our members must risk their health every day but to deal with this? Management has a responsibility to ensure safety on the work site. We have told members if they do not feel safe, they have the right to remove themselves from that situation."
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May 04, 2020 at 12:45PM
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Local Leaders Condemn Man Wearing KKK Hood at Santee Vons - NBC 7 San Diego
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