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Michigan man gets 10 months over racist attempts to scare Black Lives Matter protesters

Associated Press/David Goldman

A Michigan man was sentenced to 10 months in prison over attempts to intimidate Black Lives Matter protesters.

Kenneth Pilon, 62, called nine Starbucks stores and told employees to threaten and racially demean employees supporting Black Lives Matter. He also threatened to kill Black people, according to court records.

He called the stores in the days after Starbucks announced it would provide T-shirts for employees who wanted to support Black Lives Matter in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Pilon also left nooses and threatening notes at Starbucks parking lots and other establishments.

One note read, “An accessory to be worn with your ‘BLM’ t-shirt. Happy protesting!” court records show.

Tags Black Lives Matter Crime hate crime

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