A black couple tried to have a picnic at a Mississippi campground. A manager pulled a gun.

[riversedge]

Source: vox.com






The campground manager has since been fired from her job.
By P.R. Lockhart May 29, 2019, 4:40pm EDT

A white campground manager in Starkville, Mississippi was fired after viral video showed her pulling a gun on a black couple trying to picnic on May 26. Screenshot/Facebook

On May 26, Jessica and Franklin Richardson decided to take their dog to Starkville, Mississippi’s Oktibbeha County Lake to enjoy the long Memorial Day weekend and have a picnic.

But what was supposed to be a relaxing day quickly turned ugly when a white campground manager approached the young black couple while holding a gun and told them they were trespassing on private property and needed to leave immediately.

The incident was captured in a now-viral video recorded by Jessica Richardson and posted to Facebook on Sunday afternoon. In the video, the campground manager, an unnamed older white woman, can be seen holding a gun at her side as she tells the couple that they need to have a reservation to use the land near the lake. .......................

Read more: https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/5/29/18644543/mississippi-kampground-of-america-gun-race-living-while-black

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Fear does dangerous things to peoples minds.

Link to tweet

[dewsgirl]

1. The pace of these stories is increasing to the point where

there are multiple stories some days. Absolutely heartbreaking. It is devastating how far backwards this country has fallen in only two and a half years.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. This sort of thing has gone on daily for centuries

It's just that there are new avenues now, like Facebook & Twitter & Youtube (which is where most of these "viral videos" are appearing and are apparently now monitored by the media) for the incidents to actually reach the public consciousness. Before the "internet/web", those who have been harassed might report it to the police, but the incident report would be promptly deposited into the nearest "circular file", never seeing the light of day. Direct calls to the "media" would generally go unheeded as not considered particularly "newsworthy", so all that was left were the black-owned newspapers where reporters might write columns about this persistent scourge.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

12. That was my thought as well.

That was my thought as well.

While it is possible that the current political climate may increase incidents of open discrimination through fearmongering and the normalization of bigotry, it is also possible that the growth of the ubiquitous electronic eye – everyone having a camera and the ability to distribute the videos worldwide – has simply made these already common occurrences more noticeable to those who have not experienced them throughout our lifetimes.

I am not a sociologist, but I am inclined to think the latter is more likely. There has always been hate and fear. The privileged majority are now both more sensitized and more exposed to it.

Regardless of the cause, we need to work to make these events less common, if not stop them altogether.

[Downtown Hound]

27. Talk to any person of color in America, and they will tell you that this is not new

Although Trump may be throwing fuel on the fire, this kind of stuff has been happening for as long as we've been a country. White people are only now learning what people of color have been telling them for years, that racism is far from dead in America. We're just seeing it more because of cell phone cameras and social media.

[Progressive Jones]

34. Don't you know? All the racist white losers are under attack! nt

[ck4829]

2. Jesus...

[marble falls]

16. Exactly what came to my mind.

[trusty elf]

3. KKKampgrounds of "Murca! ! !

MAGA ! ! ! ! !

[pansypoo53219]

5. don't you dare call HER a racist. or deplorable.

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. This is awful. Ho

How Embarrassing for those people.

I know racial things are worse in KCMO since the Twit but it's more like people are walking on eggshells. No one wants trouble.

It is difficult. Everyone is being so polite.

I know there are assholes out there but I am just talking about day to day stuff like shopping at Walmart or eating at Perkins.

[IronLionZion]

7. Feared for her life. Economic anxiety

[Vinca]

8. This is why guns should be highly regulated.

And it probably isn't a bad idea to disqualify Klan members of any gender from a job with the public. What a nasty old bat.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

14. A question

While the gun was an obvious overreaction and needless escalation, was she wrong to ask them to leave?

I have been chivied off of private property when I inadvertently trespassed. Most property owners were polite though once, if my childhood memory is not exaggerating, it was by a man with a shotgun. Both I and the various property owners were white.

Was her action of asking the couple to leave wrong, or simply her brandishing of a firearm to enforce her request, thereby causing fear and mental distress, and risking grievous harm?

[cstanleytech]

17. Had she simply informed them of the fact without the gun then sure no problem with that however

that did not happen thus the reason for her being fired.

[marble falls]

18. You mean other than there was no need for permission to be on the grounds???

[LanternWaste]

20. I don't mind most marine mammals. But sea lions? I could do without sea lions.

[Sapient Donkey]

21. Even without the firearm, from a customer service standpoint, she is an awful manager

This lady, or at least this site, apparently has a history of "yelling" at people who don't check-in. The proper response would be to inform them there is a daily fee or whatever. Probably while trying to convince them why they should stay and pay that fee. I mean, that is why the place exists. These folks were potential customers.

Perhaps that's how it would have went down had they been white. I have my suspicions that it wasn't just her poor customer service skills that led to her pulling a gun out on potential customer. It's a good thing she was fired. Sadly she likely still has her firearm and will continue to carrying it and possibly brandish it in such reckless manners. :/

[Bengus81]

24. So...you didn't read the article eh??

The MANAGER stated clearly they could picnic at that area without a permit. So I guess if someone didn't like some blacks in a city park where they live they should point a gun and PRETEND that they couldn't eat there??

[Vinca]

29. She wasn't wrong asking them to leave, but what ever happened to walking up to someone

Last edited Thu May 30, 2019, 05:16 PM - Edit history (1)

and politely saying, "I'm sorry. This is private property and I need to ask you to leave?" I hate it when the Jehovah's Witnesses land on my porch (which is private property), but I have yet to threaten them with a weapon.

[brush]

33. Read the article. She was wrong as no reservation was needed.

[Kind of Blue]

31. This is where you could have used

your "pendantry" by reading the article.

[RandiFan1290]

9. Mississippi

I'm sure it's just a coincidence

[Baitball Blogger]

10. How many generations in her family tree have been influenced by that nut case?

[aeromanKC]

11. Keep the Cameras rolling!!

These MAGAt's need to be outed as the MAGAt's that they are!!

[Bengus81]

13. Mirrors the people you'll see at Trump's rallys right behind him...........

[not fooled]

15. And note

that it's a privatized, for-profit campground where this occurred. Much less likely if this had been a public space staffed by better-trained and supervised government employees held to higher standards.

[McKim]

19. So Glad!!!!

My husband’s family used to own slaves in that town!!!! It looks like things have improved if she was fired! I am taking some hope from this story!!!! These incidents have to STOP!!!!!

[B Stieg]

22. "Betty Beretta"? "Carly Colt"?

Racist jerk..

[Blue_Tires]

23. yep...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212140178

[Bengus81]

25. KOA operating at a State Lake.........

My guess is those picnic tables are for the use by ANYONE and then KOA leases a part of the lake grounds and charges for overnight camping and hookups. That had ZERO to do with those people wanting to picnic and gun toting granny KNEW IT. She just didn't want any darkies roaming around the place.

Peeps need to make sure she doesn't trot over to the local Wally World and get a job. My guess is she NEEDED the one she just lost.

[kimbutgar]

26. I love how these racists get fired when busted for their bigotry.

Next job interview. “Why did you get fired”? “I pulled a gun on a black couple picnicking”.

[Downtown Hound]

28. I love it what gun freaks learn the hard way

That that gun is just as likely to hurt you as it is to protect you. More even.

[Kind of Blue]

30. Good to see the most important put front and center.

She has been fired.

[KG]

32. another one of them there respsonsible gun owners i keep hearing about