Man goes grocery shopping wearing KKK hood

Across many parts of America, grocery shopping is a task that is now performed in a mask.

Some folks will opt for the standard issue blue or green surgical looking type, whereas others may get more creative with the design and color of the covering that they choose.

Sadly, one shopper in California appears to have taken the need to cover his face as an invitation to don the garb of a reviled and racist organization, the Ku Klux Klan.

The middle-aged and somewhat portly looking white man was seen over the weekend at a Vons grocery store in the city of Santee, a suburb of San Diego.

As photos of his outrageous get up began circulating on social media, local officials and community leaders condemned the man’s conduct.

“The citizens and Vons employees took steps to address the situation,” Santee Mayor John Minto said. “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.”

Tammy Gillies of the Anti-Defamation League of San Diego said on Twitter: “Don’t know which angers me more — the person wearing this or the fact that no one in management @Vons Santee did anything about it.”

However, the grocery store pushed back on allegations that it did nothing to stop the offending shopper.

In a statement, Vons said employees asked the man to remove the hood and he refused to do so until he reached the checkout line. The company called it a “disturbing incident” and said it was working with employees on how to handle any related future incidents.

However, while the mayor of Santee claimed the incident did not reflect the values of its present day inhabitants, the Los Angeles Times noted a dark past that could be a clue to the thought process of the Vons shopper.

The city has worked over the years to overcome a history of racially motivated attacks and skinhead activity that led to the nicknames “Klantee” and “Santucky”, the LA Times wrote.

As outrage over the incident persists, Crazy America continues to work to identify and locate the man to seek comment from him. We will keep you updated.

The incident occurred a day after a San Diego County mandate requiring residents to wear face coverings in public, including in grocery stores, took effect. The mandate is aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19.