Kristina Graper: Dover woman, who threatened to kneel on Black child's neck, convicted
DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE: A New Hampshire woman, Kristina Graper, has been convicted by the state's justice department after she threatened a Black child to 'kneel on his neck' and called him the N-word. In May 2021, Graper, 51, threatened a nine-year-old Black boy after he "accidentally broke her son's toy while playing in a neighborhood park", a release from the New Hampshire Department of Justice says.
The nine-year-old boy, referred to as DH in court documents, was playing with Graper's son in a neighborhood park on May 10 when the latter "pushed" him and caused him to break "a foam missile or foam bullet” that belonged to Graper’s child, who ran home and told his mother about it. “Afraid, D.H. ran away, but the defendant was able to catch up to him,” a civil rights complaint stated. “The defendant threatened DH that she would kneel on his neck.”
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The office of New Hampshire Attorney General John M Formella had filed an enforcement action against Graper for violating the state’s Civil Rights Act. The complaint was filed on October 7 in Strafford County Superior Court, alleging Graper made a racially motivated threat against the young boy after he accidentally broke a toy belonging to her son.
"The court found that on May 10, 2021, Ms. Graper threatened physical force against the victim, a nine-year-old black child, when she threatened to “kneel on his neck” and called him a racial slur after he accidentally broke a toy that belonged to Ms Graper’s son. The court concluded that this conduct was motivated by the victim’s race and had the purpose to terrorize or coerce the victim. The court reached this conclusion after the defendant defaulted by not filing a response to the Attorney General’s complaint," the release from the New Hampshire Department of Justice says, "Because the court found that Ms. Graper violated the Civil Rights Act, the court enjoined Ms. Graper from further violations of the Civil Rights Act, RSA 354-B:1, from contacting the victim and the victim’s family, and from knowingly coming within 250 feet of the victim and the victim’s family. The trial court also imposed a $2,500 civil penalty with $2,000 suspended for a period of three years conditioned upon compliance with the injunction. A violation of the terms of the injunction is a crime and may subject Ms. Graper to future civil and/or criminal penalties to include fines or incarceration. The court’s order shall remain in effect for three years but may be extended by order of the court upon motion of the Attorney General."
The release states that Graper violated the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, RSA chapter 354-B. "The Civil Rights Unit enforces state and federal civil rights laws, including the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act and the New Hampshire Law Against Discrimination," the release reads.