Teen Charged In Racist Arby's Sign Incident
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 19-year-old Minneapolis man faces three misdemeanor charges in connection with the offensive defacement of a fast food restaurant sign last weekend.
The Hennepin County Attorney's office says Usindini Christopher Colling-Harper admitted to changing the letters on the sign of the Brooklyn Center Arby's because he was bored while waiting for a bus early Saturday morning.
A passing motorist flagged police later that morning and alerted them of the sign, which featured the N-word and a derogatory term for prostitutes.
Police searched Facebook to find the first posting about the sign, and found a woman shared a photo of it with the caption, "Seems like Arby's hiring in bc."
Investigators contacted the woman, who said her boyfriend, Colling-Harper, was the culprit. She said he did it because he thought it was funny.
Colling-Harper told police he didn't mean to cause harm to the restaurant, but the manager told police they had to unplug the business's phones from the influx of complaints and threats. The manager also said people were using the drive-thru to yell at workers about the offensive sign.
Colling-Harper was charged with one count each of criminal defamation, disorderly conduct and public nuisance. He could face up to a year in prison if convicted.
