A Staten Island Home Depot worker's homemade "America Was Never Great Hat" sparked outrage after it was posted to social media, leading to threats on her life and potentially her job as well.
The St. George-native Krystal Lake, 22, wore her hat, inspired by presidential candidate Donald Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again," to her shift Saturday at the Mariners Harbor store after she saw other workers wear pro-Trump buttons on their uniform, the Staten Island Advance reported.
"The point of the hat was to say America needs changing and improvement," Lake, a College of Staten Island student and Bernie Sanders supporter, told the paper. "I don't think it's a positive message to say, 'Let's look to the past.'"
Her hat went viral after a shopper snapped a photographer of her during work and posted it on Twitter. The photo lead to threats on her life and her job if she wears the hat to work again. There was coverage in national media and nearly 10 articles in the Advance about the controversy.
A Home Depot in Staten Island. In these people's minds, America won't be great until we are a persecuted minority. pic.twitter.com/rS4ZSfPHsx
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) May 18, 2016
"People have been saying really racist things to me and that they're going to come and find me, and that what I said is disgraceful and I hate America — but I don't hate America," Lake told the paper.
"I know there are a lot of opportunities here," she said. "I just wish we would worry about making America better — not 'great again.'"
