All sorts of odd things are arising from the lockdown that is stretching across the USA.
San Diego was met with the oddest and most alarming choice we have yet to see-a man grocery shopping in a Ku Klux Klan hood.
The man was caught by the Times of San Diego. Citizens and public officials alike responded with disgust at the gesture.
Santee Mayor John Minto said:
"The Sheriff's Department is investigating. I hope they will have more information for us tomorrow."
The San Diego City Council and the City Of Santee made a joint statement decrying the mask:
"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."
No elaboration was given on what these steps were.
However, several eyewitnesses say that the employees of Vons, the grocery store in which the man was shopping, asked him to remove the hood. But they allowed him to continue and finish shopping. Finally, the hood was removed in the checkout area. The man cashed out without wearing a protective face covering.
One customer also reported that others were egging the perpetrator on.
"He was behind me in line. Standing quietly. A man in a wheelchair [went] past and saluted him and he laughed. I took the photo because I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. I've grown up in Santee and have never seen such racism right before my eyes."
Vons has since released an official statement about the incident.
"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."
"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."
No word has come on whether the man will face charges.
The book Ku-Klux: The Birth of the Klan during Reconstruction is available here.
