Shasta DA to investigate racist slur used at meeting: 'Quash this before it gets worse'

David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight
Updated ·2 min read

The Shasta County District Attorney’s Office has started an investigation into the racist slur used by a white man at last Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting.

“We can confirm the Shasta County District Attorney's Office did receive a (report) regarding Alex Bielecki. After a preliminary review of the initial report, the Shasta County District Attorney's Office has determined that additional witness follow-up needs to be completed before a filing decision can be made,” DA spokeswoman Briona Haney said in an email to the Record Searchlight.

The DA's office is asking the sheriff’s office for additional information.

Nathan Pinkney, wearing blue-and-white hat, is escorted out of Tuesday's Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting by a Securitas security guard . Pinkney, who is black, objected to the use of the N word by Alex Bielecki earlier in the meeting. Bielecki is standing by the door with a cane.
Nathan Pinkney, wearing blue-and-white hat, is escorted out of Tuesday's Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting by a Securitas security guard . Pinkney, who is black, objected to the use of the N word by Alex Bielecki earlier in the meeting. Bielecki is standing by the door with a cane.

Last Tuesday, Nathan Pinkney, a Black man, was kicked out of the meeting after he objected to Bielecki, a white speaker, using the N-word while addressing the five supervisors.

Pinkney was escorted out of the chamber by a security guard after Chairman Patrick Jones got upset with him for speaking out from his seat in the audience and said he was disrupting the meeting.

Bielecki was not chastised and was allowed to speak again later in the meeting.

Jones' handling of the incident has created a public backlash against the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Tim Garman, who apologized to residents who were attending the meeting, told the Record Searchlight that he has been working with the sheriff’s office because “we need to make things right.”

“We are trying to do what we can to quash this before it gets worse,” Garman said.

In the wake of Tuesday’s meeting, groups like the Shasta Equal Justice Coalition and Butte County chapter of the NAACP have spoken out.

More: 'Reaping now what they've sown': Community leaders react to racist slur at Shasta meeting

"The Bute County NAACP Branch 1029-B is appalled at the permissive use of the “N” word during a recent Shasta County Board of Supervisors meeting this past Tuesday. Allowing the use of language that is racially demeaning against a specific racial group should not be tolerated," the Butte County chapter said in part.

The supervisors’ next scheduled public meeting is Tuesday and Garman said he expects “chaos.”

“I think there is going to be a lot of protestors and they are going to ask for the chair (Jones) to step down,” Garman said.

Garman said he doesn’t second-guess what Jones did at last Tuesday’s meeting and doesn’t think he should step down.

“No, he was voted in. I don’t want to see a change there. It will just incite the problem,” Garman said.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County DA looking into racist slur used at supervisors meeting