Sheriff, NAACP clarify comments on incident involving apparent Klansman costumes

SPOKANE — Both NAACP Spokane President Lisa Gardner and Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels have clarified comments about an apparently racist incident that took place last week.

It occurred Jan. 2 when three individuals wore what appeared to be Ku Klux Klan costumes to ring the doorbell of a home in Mead and run away. Those living at the home were not persons of color and did not mention anything about race when the incident was reported. But when images were posted online, the Spokane NAACP responded.

Speaking about the incident earlier this week, Gardner suggested some within the sheriff’s office did not believe there was a racial undertone to the costumes. She also claimed Nowels had not returned an email asking to speak with him about the incident.

That email was sent Saturday but was never received by Nowels because Gardner did not use the correct email address. The two spoke by phone on Thursday and plan to meet in person. Gardner described the call as a “good conversation” and said everything had been cleared up between herself and Nowels.

Speaking on the incident, Nowels said there is “no way to perceive” what was worn in the video other than an evocation of KKK imagery.

“Whoever did this, it cannot be perceived as anything other than what it was. If people were offended, that is completely reasonable behavior,” he said of the public outcry. “Absolutely people should be alarmed of that happening in our community.”

But Nowels added that the actions in the video did not appear to be criminal.