'I'm gonna start swinging': Man won't be charged for tirade against utility workers
GO OUT, BE SURE YOU SLOW DOWN
AND BE CAREFUL. ALWAYS GOOD
ADVICE. BRIAN, THANK YOU.
HOW ABOUT THIS STORY? A RALEIGH
MAN CAUGHT ON CAMERA GOING ON
THIS LONG, RACIST RANT
SHOUTING.
>> AT UTILITY WORKERS IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD, THE VIDEO IS
STRANGE AND DISTURBING AND EVEN
SCARY. AT TIMES WHEN THE MAN
WAS SWINGING A SHOVEL IT SOME
OF THESE WORKERS THE VIDEO IS
MAKING ITS ROUNDS ONLINE.
MAYBE YOU'VE SEEN IT. WRAL
WANTED TO KNOW AFTER WHAT YOU
SEE HERE ARE POLICE INVOLVED IN
ANY WAY AND IT TURNS OUT THERE
ARE NO CHARGES, NO PUNISHMENTS
FOR THIS PERSON AT ALL. WRAL
INVESTIGATES SARAH KRUEGER WENT
TO FIND OUT WHY NOT?
>> WHAT WE HEARD FROM POLICE
SAYS THERE WILL BE NO CHARGES
FOR THE MAN SEEN IN THAT VIDEO
OUT HERE. I WANTED A SECOND
OPINION ON THAT. SO I WENT TO
AN ATTORNEY FOR AN EXPLANATION.
>> WHERE NEARLY 4 MINUTES, THIS
CELL PHONE VIDEO SHOWS A MAN
GOING ON A RACIST TIRADE IN
NORTH RALEIGH, VERBALLY
ATTACKING UTILITY WORKERS
EVEN SWINGING A SHOVEL AT THEM.
HE'S GOT TO GET OUT OF THE
BALL.
>> THE VIDEO SEEMINGLY CAPTURED
BY ONE OF THE WORKERS HAS
GOTTEN A LOT OF ATTENTION
ONLINE IN RECENT WEEKS.
>> THE CAPTION IN SPANISH
TRANSLATES TO THE WAY WE'RE
TREATED WHILE WE EARN AN HONEST
LIVING. YEAH, ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S SO WHEN YOU WATCHED THAT
VIDEO, WHAT DID YOU THINK?
>> WELL, I WAS TERRIFIED.
PEOPLE TO GOLDBERG IS THE CEO
OF NONPROFIT AL CENTRO HISPANO.
I'M WORRIED ABOUT MEAN MY KIDS.
MY COMMUNITY OR STAFF AND
CENTER SPINAL.
>> EVERYBODY. RALEIGH POLICE
TOLD WRAL THEY SPOKE WITH THE
PARTIES INVOLVED AND DETERMINED
NO CRIME OCCURRED. WE ASKED THE
DEPARTMENT HOW THIS INCIDENT
DIDN'T CONSTITUTE COMMUNICATING
THREATS OR ETHNIC INTIMIDATION.
WE DIDN'T HEAR BACK BUT A LOCAL
ATTORNEY WHO WATCHED THE VIDEO
AGREES WITH RPD. DID YOU SEE
ANY CRIME COMMITTED? I DIDN'T.
DANIEL MEYER DOES NOT HAVE ANY
CONNECTION TO THE INCIDENT TO
THE FIRST AMENDMENT. ALLOWS THE
TO BASICALLY SAY YOUR PIECE,
YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU WANT.
YOU CAN BE AS OFFENSIVE AS YOU
WANT TO BE. FRANKLY, YOU CAN'T
YELL FIRE IN A MOVIE THEATER.
YOU CAN READ THE HURT PEOPLE.
>> BUT YOU CAN DELAY SAYS YOU
CAN BE I'M NOT SURE. THAT YOU
WANT, UNFORTUNATELY, WE'RE
FORTUNATE AND THAT'S FREE
SPEECH. IT DOESN'T STATING THE
MAN YELLING IN THE VIDEO LIVES
NEAR WHERE THE INCIDENT TOOK
PLACE. WE'RE NOT NAMING HIM
SINCE HE HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED.
WE TRIED TO CALL HIM AN EVEN
MAILED HIM A LETTER BUT HAVEN'T
HEARD BACK.
>> GOLDBERG SAYS HER FEARS
ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE
HISPANIC COMMUNITY ARE
HEIGHTENED BECAUSE OF THE
DIVISIVENESS OF SOCIETY.
RIGHT NOW WE ARE PART OF THE
FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY.
SO SOMEBODY SAY NO, THESE
THINGS WE SO MUCH HATE AND IT'S
REALLY TOUGH ROW TO GOLDBERG
HOPES ANYONE IN A SITUATION
LIKE THESE WORKERS KNOWS THEY
CAN COME TO EL CENTRO. THIS IS
NO RIGHT AND WE ARE NOT GOING
TO TOLERATE THESE AND WE ARE
GOING TO COME TO IT AND SUPPORT
EACH OTHER. THAT'S A COMMUNITY.
SARAH KRUEGER, WRAL NEWS,
RALEIGH AND SOME ARE TALKING
ABOUT STRENGTHENING OTHER LAWS
SURROUNDING INSTANCE LIKE THIS.
>> THE UNION REP TOLD US THAT
IN SOME STATES THEY'VE
SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED TO MAKE IT
A FELONY TO ASSAULT A UTILITY