The River Valley Times apologized for an ‘accidental’ publishing error after receiving major backlash from town residents.
The Rancho Murieta community in California called out writer Marcia Courson for insinuating that Black men needed to be in the house by a certain time in the local newspaper. Folks are now calling the columnist a racist.
Courson, produced an Op-Ed on the killing of Stephon Clark, 22, who was shot eight times by two Sacramento officers. The article implied that the tragedy may have resulted from Black males staying outside too late.
“We must not immediately assume a policeman has no reason to confront a suspect… In Stephon’s situation, the cell phone looked like a small black gun… Police have to be careful not to overreact, and you Black men might be better off at home after a certain hour,” the columnist wrote.
How did this piece get published in the first place?
The general manager David Herburger told Fox 40, he forgot to read over the article in absence of their editor.
“First of all, I want to say we do not endorse the notion of a minority-based curfew, [that] would be the best way to distill that sentence that’s in there. I felt sick I felt like I blew it I should have captured it … It reminds me of Nazi Germany. That everybody has to be indoors by a certain period of time,” Herburger said.
One resident told KVOR-TV the article was “disgusting” to read.
However, Herburger is unsure whether Courson will still be working with the newspaper.
