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Illinois Woman Charged with Hate Crime After Spitting on Black Couple Seeks Forgiveness

An Alsip, Illinois woman has been charged for a hate crime after spitting at and calling a Black couple the n-word at a margarita festival back in July.

Viral footage from that July incident showed Jessica Sanders harass and hurl slurs at a Black couple over a game of “Bags,” or “Corn Hole.” In a recent interview with CBS Chicago, the victim and high school history teacher Ernest Crim tells reporters that as soon as the altercation began he took out his phone and started recording.

“To think that someone would think that low of you that they would spit on you,” he says.

Sanders then tries to slap the phone away, but Crim manages to capture the woman anyhow. Even though she has been charged for the incident, Sanders believes her use of the n-word is justifiable.

“Caucasian, Asian, purple, pink. It doesn’t matter what color you are. If you’re being ignorant, you are being ignorant,” Sanders opines in a radio interview with WLS’ John Howell and Ray Stevens. “I don’t understand how this got so blown out of proportion that it needed to get this far … Before I was charged with any hate crime or anything … I would have given him an apology. It was wrong of me to use that word.”

Crim was told about Sanders’ interview and says he does not accept her apology. He believes her explanation for using the n-word is “nonsense.” Since the incident, he has used the video to teach his students about racism in America.

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