Unhappy story from the Madison County Record:
A group of out-of-state electric company workers helping restore power to Madison County residents were subjected to racial epithets and other forms of harassment while in the area on Saturday.
A portion of the 100-plus crew members on loan from Pennsylvania that were helping restore power in the Boston area were concerned enough to call for help at Ozarks Electric’s Fayetteville headquarters. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was then notified, and subsequently the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Madison County Sheriff Phillip Morgan, the Pennsylvania crew, which had split into about three groups, had between 30 or 40 African-American workers included in the 100.
“Some kids were driving around them, waving Rebel flags and mouthing to them,” Morgan said. “They showed some weapons and were supposedly intoxicated.
“That’s just not right for those people to treat them that way. Those people came down here from Pennsylvania to help us get electricity back on, leaving their families behind, and this is how they are treated. That’s just wrong.”