A Black campaign worker canvassing for a Black state representative in Washington was confronted by a White man who told him to “get out of my fucking neighborhood” and accused him of trespassing.
The young canvasser started recording the incident after the man reportedly approached him on a bicycle near Mill Creek after he got out of his car.
In the video, the White man can be heard telling the canvasser to show his permit to canvass. He tells the young man he owns multiple properties and that nobody wants him there.
The man repeatedly insisted on the canvasser showing him a permit and told him he “knows the rules” and “the fucking laws.”
My field director was followed and harassed while knocking on doors for me this weekend. This is so much worse than some racist symbols on my signs. I’d hate to think of what could’ve happened had this escalated. #canvassingwhileblack pic.twitter.com/gXlCOz06IS
— Rep April Berg (@RepBerg) July 11, 2022
Rep. April Berg posted part of the video of the encounter on Twitter today.
In an article with the Everett Herald, Berg said she believes the incident was racially motivated. She also noted on Twitter that her signs were defaced with hateful symbols in the past.
On Twitter, Berg said, “This happened about a mile from my home. As a young Black man, my field director Julian is at risk while doing outreach because there are people, who want to control the info their neighbors receive, who’ve decided that people like Julian “don’t belong” in their neighborhoods.”
More about the incident can be found here.
