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Protesters Want Suspects In Racist Attack In Stonington To Be Charged With A Hate Crime

Catherine Statchen
/
Connecticut Public Radio
New London NAACP President Jean Jordan addresses a rally in Stonington Borough.

Protesters gathered at a Black Lives Matter rally in Stonington Borough Sunday to raise awareness about a racist attack on a Black worker at the Mystic Quality Inn on June 26. 

Chrystal Caldwell alleges a white couple from New York attacked her twice, calling her racial slurs, including “old monkey.” The second attack -- caught on video -- shows the man punching, kicking and slamming Caldwell to the ground. Stonington police were called in, and the victim and suspects were taken to the hospital. Then, unbeknownst to the police, the suspects left the hospital and fled.  

Speaking to protesters, New London NAACP President Jean Jordan called the incident an atrocity.  

“But what it is even more an atrocity is the fact that the state’s attorney’s office is not charging these people with a hate crime,” she said. “It was a hate crime. A hate crime that happened in your town.”

A video of the protest was posted online by the Stonington Democratic Town Committee. 

Jordan urged protesters to call the state’s attorney’s office and demand the suspects be charged with a hate crime.

“Because if you do not help us with this, you will be complicit for this next 401 years. You will have a stain on your community. You do not want to have that stain,” said Jordan. 

The state’s attorney’s office has signed arrest warrants for the suspects that list charges of second- and third-degree assault. 

Stonington police say they’re working with partners in New York and the FBI’s Civil Rights Division on the investigation and apprehension of the couple.

Diane Orson is a special correspondent with Connecticut Public. She is a reporter and contributor to National Public Radio. Her stories have been heard on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Here and Now; and The World from PRX. She spent seven years as CT Public Radio's local host for Morning Edition.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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