Earth, Wind and Fire singer Morris Pleasure racially abused and assaulted at nightclub
ABERYSTWYTH, WALES: A concertgoer has been accused of racially abusing 'Earth, Wind, and Fire' singer Morris "Mo" Pleasure in a Wales nightclub. In the early hours of April 3, Pleasure was slapped on the head and exposed to racist slurs as he walked into Aberystwyth nightclub, Pier Pressure. The attack was also captured on CCTV camera footage. Police have identified Hefin Parker, 25, of Aberystwyth as the prime suspect and have been charged with beating Pleasure and racially inciting common assault. According to Daily Mail, the suspect is scheduled to appear before the local judges on Wednesday, October 26.
Previously, Dyfed-Powys Police released a statement stating, "An alleged racially aggravated assault occurred at about 2 am on Sunday, April 3, outside Pier Pressure, Aberystwyth. We are appealing for help from the public to identify the person in the CCTV image, who may have information that could help the investigation. Anyone who knows who the person is, or if you believe you are pictured, contact Dyfed-Powys Police." The singer has been living in Aberystwyth for the past couple of months with his wife Kedma Macias before the alleged incident happened. Pleasure claimed that Aberystwyth residents had been very nice and that the assault was the only abuse he had experienced there.
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According to Daily Mail, Pleasure said at the time of the alleged attack, “It was a deeply upsetting experience. Aberystwyth is a magical place that has become home for my family over the last year and a half. The people of Aber have been so welcoming to me and the support I've had since this incident happened has been overwhelming.” “My wife and I have a little girl so we feel we have a responsibility to call out racism when we see and hear it, with the hope that our daughter doesn't have to come across this type of abuse in her life,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pleasure’s wife Macias noted that “No one is a bigger supporter of Aberystwyth than me. Racism is everywhere. It happens all the time, even in little things that people don't realize. It's about education and people having a deeper understanding that, even in our beautiful town, racism can and does happen. As a community, we want to stamp that out and call it out.”
She further recalled how the alleged racial incident took place. “They were having a great night. My sisters went in first and as Mo was following them in, he was slapped on the back of the head. Mo arrived home very upset. He said: 'I'm just used to this’ And that made me feel so sad. What he went through was absolutely disgusting. As a Black man from America, he's been through this sort of thing his whole life,” she remarked. Macias also thanked the police for their excellent support of Pleasure's emotional needs and for classifying the assault as a hate crime.
