No charges for man who displayed KKK flag
After a Grosse Pointe Park man, 31, displayed a Ku Klux Klan Flag directly facing his Black neighbor’s house, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has determined there’s insufficient evidence to charge him with ethnic intimidation.
Detroit native Je Donna Dinges, 57, said there’s been a volley of disputes between her and her next-door neighbor.
In the most recent incident, the neighbor hung a KKK flag in his window. The Feb. 15 incident gained media attention, and Grosse Pointe Park community leaders organized a march in support of Dinges.
According to the prosecutor’s office, under the Michigan Ethnic Intimidation Statute, there must be physical contact, damage, destruction, defacement of property or threats in order to pursue charges.
In a news release, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said after a review of the facts, there’s insufficient evidence to charge the neighbor.
The prosecutor’s office didn’t release the name of the man who displayed the KKK flag.
“There is absolutely no question that what happened to Ms. Dinges was despicable, traumatizing, and completely unacceptable. But, very unfortunately in my view, not a crime,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement. “The KKK flag, while intending to be visible to Ms. Dinges, was hanging inside of her neighbor’s house. We could not even begin to charge Ethnic Intimidation under current Michigan law. I strongly encourage the Michigan Legislature to look, revise, and create laws to protect citizens from this kind of horrible conduct.”