Illinois 'Karen' who blocked Black cyclist on public pier for not having beach pass charged with hate crime
WINNETKA, ILLINOIS: A woman who was involved in a racist confrontation with three Black men on a beach in Chicago has been charged with hate crime, according to authorities. Deputy Police Chief Brian O'Connell, in a statement, said that the woman, identified as 65-year-old Irene Donoshaytis, has been accused of confronting 25-year-old Otis Campbell aggressively along with two others near a pier along Lake Michigan in Winnetka.
Donoshaytis, of Northfield in Illinois, was reportedly charged with battery initially, however, the state attorney's office upgraded her charge to a hate crime on Wednesday, September 2. In a video posted on Twitter of the confrontation, Donoshaytis can be seen complaining to a Winnetka Park District employee that the three men did not have beach passes. The employee, however, informed the woman that the men did not require a beach pass because they were on public property.
You can watch the video here.
We had earlier reported the staffer saying to Donoshaytis, "So to get into the beach itself, to walk on the beach, you do have to have a pass. But to walk up and down this driveway and onto the pier, you don’t need a pass." Campbell, who had been riding his bike, then interrupted Donoshaytis' response to the staffer, asking, “So it means it’s public?” The staffer confirms that it was.
The 65-year-old, in the clip, then says to Campbell: "Are you crazy? What, you want to kill me? No? It feels like it." Campbell then responds, saying: "Why would I want to kill you? Is it because I'm Black?" The woman then responds, saying "yes" and continues to nod her head. She is then seen attempting to knock the phone out of Campbell's hand and the recording ends there. Campbell, in his complaint, alleged that Donoshaytis hit his arm twice during the incident.
Judge Anjana Hansen, at a hearing on Wednesday, September 2, set Donoshaytis' bond at $10,000 and prohibited her from contacting Campbell or other witnesses. The woman, as part of her bail, was also ordered to surrender her passport and is scheduled to make an appearance in court on September 18, according to records.
Campbell, who reportedly grew up in nearby Skokie, relayed his ordeal on Twitter, saying he was confronted by the woman after he finished a 15-mile bike ride with his cousin and friend. He added that Donoshaytis told the three men: "This is America. This is America. You can't do this. I'm from Winnetka. You need to go back where you're from."
Campbell further said that he is "not the one throwing this at her" and that he will let the justice system handle the woman's punishment. Campbell, in a statement to CBS 2, said: "Right now, it's definitely turning into a learning lesson for her." He added that he was pleased to see her charge with a hate crime and hoped that she and others learn from the incident.
"It should be something that's an example and let people know – hey, when you see this standup for yourself or see your friend going through this, stand up for him anybody going through this," he told the outlet. According to Donoshaytis' attorney, Jeffrey Fagan, the 65-year-old was a Soviet Union refugee who fled from persecution there.