Racial Slur Reportedly Hurled At Kids, Police Investigating

EDMONDS, WA - An Edmonds mother claims that a bouncer at an Edmonds bar yelled a racial slur at her kids Sunday night, and police are investigating. It's the latest in a string of race-based crimes that have hit cities across Puget Sound from Edmonds to Lakewood.

Edmonds police said Monday that detectives are investigating after a bouncer at Harvey's Lounge allegedly used a racial slur and chased the children with a baseball bat. Employees at the bar have denied the allegation.

The kids' mother, Darnesha Weary, sparked outrage in Edmonds when she posted about the incident on Facebook.

"I immediately called 911, and they’re here taking a report now," Weary wrote in a Facebook post Sunday night. "I called the restaurant to inquire about the incident and the lady on the phone said that 'she didn’t want them on her property.' I then informed her that they were minors and working a on school project...she told me that she didn’t care and that they were being 'suspicious' ..."

A woman who answered the phone at the bar Monday declined to comment, but denied Weary's story.

"All of that is a lie and you can talk to the Edmonds police department about it," the woman said before hanging up the phone.

Edmonds police released a statement about the incident, but did not provide details about what did or did not happen. Here's the department's statement:

The concerns expressed by the reporting party are being looked at thoroughly to include the viewing of surveillance footage from the business with the priority to determine if a crime has occurred. Our patrol officers worked overnight on this before a detective was assigned first thing this morning and began following up. We have received full cooperation from the Harvey’s owner. More interviews have already taken place or are schedule for later today. Out of respect for their privacy of the reporting party and the integrity of the investigation we will not be releasing additional information at this time. We encourage everyone to be respectful of the process, let the facts come to light and to refrain from inflammatory comments.

This is the latest reported racially-tinged incident around Puget Sound recently. Edmonds had been hit by racist graffiti several times over the past year, and black workers at a downtown construction site reportedly found a noose at their jobsite. But those aren't the only incidents.

• DaShawn Horne, 26, a postal worker, is in a coma after being beaten with a baseball bat in late January. Julian Tuimauga, 18, allegedly beat Horne outside an Auburn home on Jan. 20 after Tuimauga learned Horne spent the night with his sister. Tuimauga allegedly targeted Horne because he's black.
• In Bellevue, police have found racist graffiti around the city over the past year. A white nationalist group called Patriot Front left recruiting posters in Bellevue and Gig Harbor in November.
• In September, an unidentified male set fire to a bench at Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor and painted racist graffiti nearby.
• In August, members of the white nationalist group Northwest Front left business cards on cars in Lakewood.
• In Kent last March, a Sikh man was shot in his driveway. The shooter told the 39-year-old to "Go back to your own country."

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