Tahoe boycotts local business after the owner makes racist comments

After the owner of a local hat company made racist remarks on social media, South Lake Tahoe residents organize a rapidly growing boycott.

Tahoe -Heart beats Hats were ubiquitous in Lake Tahoe, sold everywhere from grocery stores to ski shops and immediately recognizable for the logo -an ECG line and an overview of Lake Tahoe. Now the local people encourage throwing the hats, boycotting the business and stopping doing business with Tahoe Heartbeat. The boycott spurred several companies to pull the tahoe heart beats from their shelves and stop the sale of the products.

Late on the night of Saturday, February 1st, owner Parker Alexander wrote a racist screed in the comments from one Facebook post By South Tahoe Now, said Paula Peterson, the publisher and editor of the local news site.

Alexander replied to a Letter written by Superintendent Todd Cutler By Lake Tahoe Unified School District, which South Tahoe now published on January 27. Addressed the families of South Lake Tahoe students and responded to fear of federal immigration policies, Cutler emphasized that the district is “committed to the security and success of all our students. ”

On Sunday morning, Alexander deleted his comments, Peterson said. However, screens were circulated by Alexander’s comments on social media and triggered hundreds of comments and shares on Facebook, Nextdoor and Reddit.

SFGATE reviewed the screens of Alexander’s response to Cutler’s letter. Alexander called immigrant parents “criminals” and attacked their children. “These illegally bred children will grow up with the influence of their criminal parents. We have to cut the dragons head at the head (sic), ”Alexander wrote.

South Lake Tahoe residents, business owners and managers have overwhelmingly reprimanded Alexander for attacking the children for immigrants. More than 21% of residents of Lake Tahoe identify themselves as Latin American, many of whom live in South Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe basin is dependent on immigrants to make up a large part of its workforce.

“This is more than just a person’s statement – it’s about ensuring that racism and discrimination have no place in our community,” wrote Kelly Escobedo, a resident of South Tahoe and Hair Stylist, in an E email sent to different media . Escobedo did not respond to Sfgate’s request for comment at the time of publication.

“He went after the children,” a resident of Meyers told SFGATE. They were assigned anonymity due to previous business relationships with Tahoe Heartbeat and fear of retaliation in a small town.

ACE -hardware in South Lake Tahoe pulled their inventory over Tahoe Heartbeat Hats from the floor of their store on Monday, an employee told SFGATE. The employee was not allowed to talk to the press, so SFGATE has given them anonymity in accordance with Hearst’s ethical policy. ACE hardware made the decision to stop selling hats after several members of the community entered the store and asked them to boycott Tahoe Heartbeat because of the owner’s racist comments.

Ski and snowboarding shop Bluezone Sports in South Lake Tahoe has also stopped selling Tahoe Heartbeat products. “We did not appreciate what he said, and so we decided to pull it off (the shelves). And we will not carry the product, ”said a blue zone employee who also asked not to be named.

Raleys dismantled a view of Tahoe Heartbeat Hats in his grocery store in South Lake Tahoe, South Tahoe Now reported. Safeway also removed the hats.

Lake Tahoe Community College will no longer work with Tahoe Heartbeat at Co-Branded Merchandise, said Mark Thomsen, a spokesman for the college. “What was said is obviously not in line with the values ​​of the college,” Thomsen said.

The league to save Lake Tahoe also pulled merchandise that was co-marked with Tahoe Heartbeat from his store, said CEO Darcie Goodman Collins Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Boys and girls’ club in South Lake Tahoe also cut ribbons with Tahoe Heartbeat, Tahoe reported Daily Tribune.

“We are 100% behind Lake Tahoe Unified School’s District’s statement to secure the security of all children while in school,” Jude Wood, CEO of Boys and Girls Club, said in an E email to SFGATE. “The club is proud to be a place for all children and will continue to make security our first priority.”

Alexander was known for placing continuous in the evening on social media that had a conservative political tone, Peterson said. But he would usually delete them after. This time, the screens allowed community members to keep Alexander responsible even after deleting his comments and social media accounts.

Alexander has apologized, “I would apologize for my recent immigration comments. This is a situation that affects many individuals and families, and while it is a divisive question, I acknowledge how my words were poorly articulated and hurtful, ”he said in an E email to SFGATE. He wrote the same apology in response to other news articles about the controversy, including in South Tahoe Now.

Peterson, who writes almost every article published by South Tahoe now and operates his social media, has become the de facto judge for many such small city scandals. She said she would have deleted or hidden Alexander’s comments, which are standard practices when she monitored social media for dehumanization of rhetoric, but he deleted them first.

Until Sunday, Alexander was well -liked in the community, Peterson said. He grew up in South Lake Tahoe and started a successful business. But when the screens of his racist comments became viral, society reacted quickly.

South Lake Tahoe is a densely composed society, Peterson said, and people are quick to help. Although it is a city in California, South Lake Tahoe is a lonely blue dot leaning democratically in a county known for its Republican majority. Still, in her 11 years at South Tahoe now, or even in the more than 40 years, she has been South Tahoe resident, she has never seen a strong and unified public setback against racism in society like this before.

“It’s the undercurrent of immigration issues across the country,” Peterson said.

In the school district, Superintendent Cutler said he is committed to the safety and protection of all South Lake Tahoe students. About 42% of South Lake Tahoe’s students identify as Latin American according to Lake Tahoe Unified School District. About 24% are English -language students and 58% qualify for free or reduced lunch.

“As for all the different noise that is happening around us, I would say that I will keep my focus on what is important to lead the school district and take care of children,” Cutler said. “That’s what’s most important to me.”