GOLD BAR, Wash. — In Snohomish County, some residents told KIRO 7 they feel unsafe going to their local grocery store. Over the weekend, controversial photos of a cashier at Gold Bar Family Grocer appeared on social media. The photos show a man with a KKK shirt and a loaded holster checking out customers.
The shirt bears the words “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.”
“The world’s a scary place right now. And Gold Bar should be a safe haven for those of us who live here,” said Gold Bar resident Lynne Kelly. “That’s crossing a line. That’s not okay.”
She believes the grocery store needs to take action.
Meanwhile, fellow resident Jessica believes the man should be allowed to wear what he wants.
“Freedom of speech,” said Jessica. “Didn’t everyone fight for our freedoms for free speech so we could do what we want here? If the company’s not against it, the company’s not against it.”
We spoke with an expert on hate speech. Caitlin Carlson is a professor of communications at Seattle University and has published a book called ‘Hate Speech’.
“The KKK is a hate group,” said Carlson. “And so this messaging is very much hate speech, but it is allowed under the First Amendment.”
But she adds that employers do have a right to intervene.
“If the employer wanted to tell the employee not to wear that, again, to wear a particular uniform, not to engage in potentially open carry, right, they would they would be well within their rights to do that,” said Carlson. “I would definitely be asking the employer, why it is there allowing this person to come to work and potentially offend or upset customers with this this attire?”
We spoke with the manager at Family Grocer who told us repeatedly “no comment.” They did add that they do not condone their employee’s actions.