Racist calls to Starbucks, noose left at 7-Eleven net hate crime charges in Michigan
A Michigan man has been accused of hate crimes after prosecutors say he left nooses in public places, along with threatening and intimidating racist messages.
Kenneth Pilon, 61, tried to intimidate protesters for Black Lives Matter with his messages and threats, the Department of Justice said in an April 27 news release.
Pilon called nine Starbucks stores in June 2020 and told each worker who answered to tell the employees wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts that, “ the only good (racial slur) is a dead (racial slur).”
He also told one employee, “I’m gonna go out and lynch me a (racial slur),” the release said.
Throughout the following month, Pilon left five nooses around the Saginaw area, four in parking lots and one in a 7-Eleven drink cooler, charging documents said.
Along with the noose, prosecutors said in the release that Pilon left a handwritten note that said, “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!”
The FBI, along with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, will be prosecuting the case.
This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Racist calls to Starbucks, noose left at 7-Eleven net hate crime charges in Michigan."
