Couple touring home for sale finds KKK memorabilia, Confederate flags owned by police office
A Michigan man was hopeful that he had finally found the “perfect” house for his family after a month of house hunting. However, he was left feeling “sick to [his] stomach” after discovering Ku Klux Klan memorabilia hanging on the wall of the home he toured, owned by a local police officer.
Rob and Reyna Mathis were touring a home for sale in Muskegon, Michigan when Rob made the shocking discovery.
"As we are walking to the house I’m seeing confederate flags on the walls the dining room table and even the garage," Rob shared on Facebook. "I’m thinking to myself as a joke I’m walking to the imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan‘s house right now."
Rob told FOX 17 he saw at least two Confederate flags hanging in the home, and that that wouldn't have necessarily prevented him from making an offer. Then, he noticed a plaque hanging on the wall of a bedroom.
"In the bedroom, right across ... there was a plaque up there, all by itself," Rob told the news station. "So being nosy, I walked over there and it was an application for the KKK. I said, 'Oh no.' I told my son, 'Don't touch nothing.'"
He shared a photo of the framed application to the KKK on social media, adding that an officer with the Muskegon Police Department owned the home.
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"I feel sick to my stomach knowing that I [walked in] the home of one of the most racist people in Muskegon hiding behind his uniform and possibly harassing people of color and different nationalities," Rob wrote. "To the officer, I know who you are and I will be looking at resources to expose your prejudice."
Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson confirmed to FOX 17 that the officer who owns the home is Charles Anderson, who has served in the police department for 20 years. Anderson is currently on administrative leave as police investigate.
"The Muskegon Police Department has opened an internal investigation after a social media post was brought to our attention accusing an officer of being in possession of certain items associated with a white supremacy group. The officer was immediately placed on administrative leave, pending a thorough investigation," the City of Muskegon Government said in a statement. "The City of Muskegon requests your patience as we thoroughly investigate this issue.”
"I think he should lose his job," Rob said. "There is no way a person who is racist should police the public. Muskegon is a very diverse community."
Anderson was cleared of fatally shooting Julius Johnson, a black man, in 2009. According to investigators, Anderson used all available forms of non-lethal force during a physical struggle with Johnson before firing the single shot that killed him. The Muskegon County Prosecutor at the time, Tony Tague, ruled that Anderson acted in self-defense.
Rob Mathis and Frank Peterson did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s requests for comment.
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