While campaigning door-to-door in Lake Tapawingo, Missouri, a black political candidate, Justice Horn faced an extremely racially charged incident. Horn, who shared the encounter on TikTok, was visiting residents at an apartment community near Kansas City when he noticed an elderly white woman trailing him.
She carried a walking stick, which Horn described as “a weapon,” and began removing his campaign flyers from residents’ doors. As she followed him, Horn says she also warned neighbors about “a Black man wandering in the area,” framing his presence as suspicious rather than political campaign.
I just had a deeply unsettling and racist encounter while knocking doors in Lake Tapawingo: I was speaking with a kind older resident at a door when another woman suddenly interrupted our conversation and asked her, “Ma’am, are you okay?”
The woman I was speaking to replied,… pic.twitter.com/DnCetJGZrQ
— Justice Horn (@JusticeHorn_) August 9, 2025
Horn recalls that he was mid-conversation with a friendly older resident when the woman intervened without warning. “She came up and asked, ‘Ma’am, are you okay?’” Horn recounted. The startled resident responded, “Yeah, why would you ask that?”
According to Horn, the woman then stated, “I was just making sure he’s not dangerous,” directly implying that his race made him a threat. Her behavior then turned completely confrontational after this point as she asked Justice Horn why he was even there.
The woman’s interference didn’t stop at verbal confrontation. Horn said she removed his campaign materials from doors, ignoring his polite requests to stop. “I asked her to leave my card alone, and she said, ‘I don’t have to, and I’m not going to,’” he explained.
I want to let everyone know that someone is using a video I originally posted on TikTok—without my consent—over on Instagram’s Threads. This video is about a deeply personal incident that happened to me, and it’s clear they screen recorded it and removed my TikTok username.… pic.twitter.com/TaapG3wMh0
— Justice Horn (@JusticeHorn_) August 11, 2025
Recognizing the potential for escalation, Horn began filming the encounter for his safety. Once she noticed the camera, Horn says her tone shifted, and she attempted to justify her actions by claiming she was concerned about soliciting rules in the neighborhood.
In the video Horn posted, the woman is seen standing at a neighbor’s door while clutching one of his cards. “Ma’am, please leave my card alone,” Horn says from behind the camera. She ignores him, pulls the card from the door, and waits.
When Horn asks, “Is there any way I can have my card back?” she reluctantly returns it without making eye contact, muttering, “Stop soliciting here.” Horn tries to clarify, “I got permission from the neighbors,” but she resumes her interruptions, peering into the home as though hoping someone would answer.
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Adding to the bizarre scene, the woman had a small terrier with her during the entire incident. The leash dangled loosely as the dog milled about, seemingly unnoticed while her focus remained on Horn’s activities. Horn also noted that before approaching him, she appeared to have been gardening, as she “looked like she had just stepped out of a flower bed” and had left a trowel stuck in the dirt.
The combination of the walking stick, the abrupt confrontation, and her repeated removal of his materials left Horn feeling both unsettled and targeted.
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Despite the intensity of the encounter, Horn was clear that this incident would not derail his campaign. “Let me be clear: this behavior does not represent the many good-hearted people I’ve met here,” he said. “Yes, it shook me. But I’m not backing down. I came here to meet voters, listen, and serve—and that’s exactly what I intend to keep doing.”
Horn further mentioned that this encounter necessarily highlighted how prejudice still existed in America and he also said that he aimed at building connections within the community, even if his good intentions were hindered.
