In just the first few months of the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center’s tenure at its new permanent location in Redwood City, owner Carolyn Hoskins has experienced harassment and racist comments, and what she feels like is limited city support.
At around 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, while Hoskins was handing out candy from her location at 890 Jefferson Ave. to passing kids, a man walked up and began saying expletives and racial slurs toward the owner.
When the man saw a stand-up cutout of Kamala Harris, he referred to both Harris and Hoskins as “nothing but bitches,” and said if Donald Trump was elected, he would “take care” of the Black people in Redwood City, the owner said.
Hoskins called the police as the man walked away calmly, and was met with what she felt was an insufficient response from the Redwood City Police Department.
The dispatcher asked Hoskins if the man was homeless — she believed he was not — and “she asked me what I wanted her to do about it,” Hoskins said.
“He knew exactly what he was saying and what he was doing,” Hoskins said. “He wasn’t bothered. What he said, he really meant.”
In this case, there was no evidence a crime occurred — the man remained outside on the sidewalk. Yet, the Redwood City Police Department encourages the public to reach out with any concern, Lt. Jeff Clements said.
“At some point, there’s no call too small,” Clements said. “If somebody calls the police, we like to provide the service. We have to prioritize that service, so it might take us a long time, but if we have the availability, we encourage a call.”
About an hour later, two officers came to the museum. Officers said if the man returns, Hoskins should let him know he isn’t welcome, and to call the police, which is exactly what she did on Tuesday.
“I don’t feel like he can come in here and say all that stuff to me and nothing happens,” Hoskins said. “I don’t want to wait until something worse happens, and then everyone’s here and there’s 15 police cars.”
Racial slurs said on a public sidewalk leave considerable room for its classification as a crime — the words would need to incite violence for it to be considered hate speech, Clements said. However, Hoskins told the officers she did feel threatened by what the man said.
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“He didn’t just say it once, he said it twice,” Hoskins said. “He was serious about what he said.”
Though she acknowledged the police might feel differently — “If I’m wrong, I hope they will come and talk to me” — Hoskins felt they thought the incident “wasn’t really that important” because she wasn’t physically harmed.
“Words are just as damaging as physical,” Hoskins said. “I just want people to not live in a shell to think that racism is somewhere else. Racism is right here in Redwood City like it is in any other city.”
Another incident occurred a few months ago, when a man trespassed and began knocking around the displays, and ultimately was arrested. However, Hoskins said the officers who attended to that incident said they didn’t know the museum was there, leaving the owner to wonder how the community sees her space.
Hoskins said she just wants to feel respected as a part of the Redwood City downtown community.
“I’m not looking for special treatment, but I do feel that I want the city of Redwood City to be proud of the fact that I am here,” Hoskins said.
Though Hoskins said having security has been under consideration for some time, the incident shows just how “you need something else because you know the police aren’t going to help you.”
“I am intelligent enough to know what kind of world that I live in and to understand that you need that kind of protection in your business, and especially in the Black History Museum, because you have radical people that are out there,” Hoskins said.
Mayor Jeff Gee and Vice Mayor Lissette Espinoza Garnica did not return calls for comment.
The Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center displays objects representing the Black experience in America, from slavery to the present day. Though the majority of objects are historical, Hoskins said Redwood City cannot shy away from the fact that racism still exists.
“When it comes to racial issues, the first thing people want to say is that that was a long time ago and Black people really need to move on,” Hoskins said. “This was 2024, yesterday, that this man stood right here and looked me in the face and said ‘Redwood City was fine until you n—s came here.’ And he did not shy away from how he used the word.”
(2) comments
Let’s remember the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “the ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
Let's also remember and take into perspective that even though what happened is wrong, it is a rare occurrence in San Mateo County and it doesn't mean the entire community is racist.
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