Racial slur charge costs Democratic lawmaker committee seat

Community activists and people of color are denouncing a state lawmaker they once considered an ally but who now stands accused of intimidating a young Black man and endangering his life.

Rep. Nicole Klein-Knight, D-Manchester, was removed from the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee on Monday at the request of Democratic leaders after a dozen Black, brown and Indigenous community organizers issued a letter condemning her.

The group said that Klein-Knight had worked with many of the signers in the past, but that her behavior in recent months has become alarming and “increasingly dangerous,” culminating in an episode at the Statehouse this month.

According to the letter, Klein-Knight accosted a young Black organizer after he testified on a bill, using a racial slur multiple times to make her point. Though the slur wasn’t directed at the young man, she continued to use it after he asked her to stop, and she later called security, according to the letter.

Read more: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Racial-slur-charge-costs-Democratic-lawmaker-committee-seat-44851867