A civil rights lawsuit has been filed in New Hampshire against a lady accused of telling a 9-year-old Black kid who accidently broke her son’s toy at a neighborhood playground that she would “kneel on his neck” if he destroyed it again. According to the Associated Press, the woman, Kristina Graper, used a racist slur against the youngster during the incident in May.
According to the lawsuit, Graper’s son pushed the youngster, causing the boy to “destroy a foam missile or foam bullet” that belonged to her son. Her son dashed home to inform her of the incident. According to the lawsuit, Graper then returned to the park to look for the other child, warning him that she would “kneel on his neck.” Graper allegedly started ranting at that person after a witness advised her that her behavior was unnecessary. Before coming home, she allegedly addressed the child a racial slur, according to the lawsuit. The complaint made no mention of Graper’s race. The interaction was eventually reported to the police by the boy’s mother.
According to the lawsuit, when Graper met with them on June 1, she denied suggesting she would kneel on the boy’s neck and instead remarked something to the effect of “you wonder why you guys get (expletive) kneeled on.” The encounter apparently caused the boy distress because he mistook the words for a reference to George Floyd’s murder, according to the complaint. When he heard Graper’s statements, he started crying and has been terrified to return to the park, only doing so “when other children are present to help keep him safe,” according to the lawsuit.
Calls and messages for Graper left by the Associated Press have not been returned. There was also no lawyer listed for her in the case file.We’ll keep you posted on any updates.
