A complaint was filed against New Hampshire woman Kristina Graper after she allegedly told a Black boy she would “kneel on his neck,” Associated Press reported on Thursday. The civil rights complaint states that Graper also called the 9-year-old boy a racial slur after he broke her son’s toy in the Dover park.
A civil rights complaint was filed in Strafford County Superior Court. The incident took place on May 10 while the Black boy was playing at the neighborhood park.
According to the complaint, the 9-year-old boy was pushed by Graper’s son. He then “broke a foam missile or foam bullet” toy that Graper’s son brought to the park. The situation escalated after Graper’s son went home to report to his mom what happened at the park.
New Hampshire Woman Threatened to Kneel on Black Boy
Graper, 51, ran up to the park and allegedly gave the 9-year-old boy a warning that brought back memories of the George Floyd incident. The complaint states that she threatened to “kneel on his neck.”
A witness noticed the incident and disagreed with Graper’s behavior. She approached Graper and informed her about her unnecessary behavior. Graper turned her anger toward the witness and started yelled at her. Before she returned home, she call the Black boy a racial slur.
When the 9-year-old’s mother became aware of the incident, she immediately informed the police.
Graper denied telling the boy she would “kneel on his neck” at the park. However, the complaint reveals that Graper said “you wonder why you guys get (expletive) kneeled on.”
The 9-year-old boy is afraid to go to the park after this unfortunate encounter. He immediately cried when he heard Graper’s terrifying words. He recalled the moments leading up to George Floyd’s death last year. A white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on George’s Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. He was crying out “I can’t breathe” but the police officer dismissed his plea. Video footage shows the horrific minutes when a Black guy’s life was taken away over a suspected counterfeit $20 bill.
The complaint says that the Black boy will only go to the park “when other children are there to help keep him safe.”
Graper could be subject to a civil penalty of up to $5,000, 7 News noted.
