december nights

Couple Says They Received Racist Morse Code Message During December Nights

The couple said they received the 'n' word via Morse code while at an exhibit at the Fleet Science Center

NBC Universal, Inc.

What began as a festive evening at December Nights for one couple turned into a sour memory and ruined experience when they say they received a racial slur in morse code at the Fleet Science Center.

Maylete and Ron Brown told NBC 7 they were excited for the yuletide event this past weekend and their outing was off to a good start. As they made their way through Balboa Park, the husband and wife duo decided to stop by the Fleet Science Center and saw a Morse code exhibit that caught their attention.

The exhibit consists of two telegraphs that visitors can use to send each other messages using morse code. Both screens are directly across from each other, and an alphabet is provided to help participants decipher the message.

“We were there maybe like 30 seconds,” Ron recalled. “We said, ‘hey, this is old school.’”

Soon after, a slur had been sent to the couple from across the room.

“We’re looking at the alphabet and we’re like, ‘Hey! We can try something.’ And then before we tried it, we’re sitting there like, ‘Hey, let’s try some words,’” Ron said. “Before we get something out, (my wife) said, ‘Hey, what is that?’ And we look down and we see the ‘n’ word.”

The couple said they were unable to see who sent the message due to the large crowd inside the exhibit at the time. The museum was also unable to identify the individual who sent the hateful slur.

NBC 7's Amber Frias reports from Balboa Park at the first live December Nights event since the start of the pandemic.

“To go through this, it was like – are you serious? What person – and a coward person – to write that and then to leave?” asked Maylete of the individual who sent the message.

The Fleet Science Center issued the following statement regarding the couple’s experience:

The Fleet Science Center does not condone any racist, discriminatory or inappropriate language and/or remarks in our facility, including our museum galleries, any event hosted by the Fleet and the Fleet Science Center as an organization. Individuals who would choose to treat others in such a way are not welcome at the Fleet.

We are unable to identify the perpetrator responsible for this incident. We are outraged that someone would choose to display such offensive language in our galleries and we have reported the incident to the authorities.

Contact Us