Both recommended and mandatory masks orders have many scrambling to make their own DIY face masks — from folded bandannas to hand-sewn face coverings. However, one man is now under fire for wearing a makeshift KKK hood while shopping at a Vons supermarket in Santee, San Diego.
Photos of the man in the white hood linked to the Ku Klux Klan trended on social media over the week. The incident happened the day after San Diego county implemented an order that required everyone to cover their faces in public if they were coming within six feet of another person or if they entered a business.
Melissa Hill, a corporate spokeswoman, said employees asked the shopper to remove the hood or leave the store, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. When a supervisor found that man at checkout and asked him to take off the hood or leave, he took off the hood, paid for his items and left.
For some on social media, this was not a huge surprise. Santee, an inland suburb of San Diego, has a history of white supremacist activity and racially motivated attacks. It’s even earned the nickname of “Klantee.”
Newsweek reports that San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob stated, “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.”
In a statement on the incident, Santee Mayor John Minto wrote, “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.”
KKK Hood Vons — Sources
City of Santee: Mayor John Minto’s statement
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Newsweek