To Rakeem Jones, flanked on all sides by uniformed sheriff’s deputies, it was more than just the shock of being ejected from a political rally for Donald Trump. The black man felt as if he was being transported back in time.
“It’s not the America they portray on TV,” the 26-year-old said, the day after he was wrestled to the ground by officers and punched in the face during the campaign event in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
But to friend Ronnie Rouse, who caught the incident on video, it was “totally American.”
“This is the America everybody wants to ignore,” the music producer told The Associated Press Thursday. “This is the America, when people tell you, ‘Oh, racism doesn’t exist.’ It’s here.”
What should we make of scenes like this Wednesday evening at Crown Coliseum?