Reporter Who Covered the False Dreadlock Story Pushed for Hairstyle Laws In Earlier Tweets

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Remember that story that collapsed this week about the 12-year-old girl black girl who supposedly was pinned down by three white boy classmates and had her dreadlocks cut?

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Yes, her family and the school admitted it was all a hoax. The family apologized in a public letter.

Now it turns out there may be more to the story.

According to the local reporter who broke the story, the girl told her family what allegedly happened on September 25 although the incident supposedly happened on September 23.

According to the Daily Caller, Turner had earlier on September 25th tweeted five times about the “Crown Act” or “natural hair bill,” advocating for laws designed to protect the hairstyle.

“Thank you for being a trailblazer,” she told a politician who introduced a bill in Montgomery County, Maryland. “I hope [Prince George’s County, Maryland] is next! … It’s sad that laws like this have to exist for people to just be themselves.”

Turner then co-wrote the story of the girl and the family the next day on September 26, for WUSA9 with the headline that the boys called the girl’s hair “nappy” and “ugly.” Turner’s story also noted that the Vice President’s wife, Karen Pence, taught at the school. The story immediately went national, with some in media highlighting the Pence connection.

Turner additionally tweeted about the case on September 27 saying, “This why we need the #CrownAct to protect little girls like Amari Allen when they get older.”

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The Allen family — grandparents Cynthia and Dewaune and aunt Lakeisha Allen — run a beauty company called “Still Natural,” and for years on Facebook, Lakeisha (who goes by the name Zyonn on the online platform) has posted pictures of herself and other people with dreadlocks, mentioning “natural.”

Turner promoted the Allens’ cosmetic line in a September 2018 news segment and an accompanying article headlined “Domestic violence survivor develops cosmetic line to inspire others.” The playground assault articles did not mention an existing relationship between the reporter and the subject.

WUSA9 covered the story multiple times between September 26 and September 29 with Turner doing two stories on the 29th, one asking if the girl was upset that the boys hadn’t yet been punished by the school and another where people who also wore dreadlocks gave the girl presents.

After it broke that the story was a hoax, WUSA9 deleted their stories on it and Turner deleted some of her tweets related to it.

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