By Tom Henderson • Staff Writer • 

Suspect in racist attacks speaks to reporters, gets court date

Amber Rocco remembers what she said Dec. 24 somewhat differently than the camera that recorded it.

She told reporters after her arraignment Friday that she clearly told an African-American couple she was holding a knife in self-defense. "The words coming out of my mouth was, 'I am defending myself,' Rocco said. "You guys can hear it, plain as day. So what is wrong with that?"

Her actual words were: "It's called self-defense, you stupid n----- b----." She used the racist slur again before the end of the 50-second video.

"I've never in my life used that word," Rocco said of the racial slur Friday. "I have a very mixed family, and I love them. I love everybody equally. I would never use that word ever again."

The video also shows her holding up the knife and pointing it toward the couple. She told reporters the knife was pointed away from them.

Judge Ronald Stone set a hearing Friday for Rocco to enter pleas on three felonies and seven misdemeanors at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 31.

The felony charges are two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and one court of fourth-degree assault. The misdemeanor charges are two counts for second-degree intimidation, two counts of menacing and three counts harassment.

Daniel Rocco, 39, the defendant's husband, also spoke to reporters after Friday's court appearance. In the video, he sits practically motionless in the passenger seat of the couple's pickup.

"If I had gotten out of the car, I would have gutted that dude," Daniel Rocco said of Keysuan Goodyear, one of the plaintiffs. Rocco added that he is a combat veteran who has seen too much violence and will only fight when it is necessary.

The incident began at approximately 2:30 p.m. Dec. 24. Emora Roberson, 20, and her Aunt Shelly went to Gandalf's Smoke & Vape Shop.

She left Goodyear, 19, in her Kia Sedona with her 15-month-old daughter.

Goodyear said he was sitting in the rear passenger seat when Rocco pulled up, criticized the aunt's parking job and called him a racially offensive name. She went into Domino's pizza and emerged about the same time Roberson and her aunt exited the smoke shop.

As the two women returned to the car, Roberson said she saw the woman police believe was Rocco parked in a pickup truck yelling at Goodyear.

After Rocco allegedly slapped Goodyear and spit on him, Goodyear said he grew angry and warned the woman about using racist language. She allegedly responded by pulling a knife and threatening to stab him.

Rocco claimed that Goodyear struck her, and she produced the knife in self-defense.

At that point, Roberson began taking video of the incident and later posted it on Facebook where it has since gone viral. Police arrested Rocco Dec. 28.

Amber Rocco said the case is unfair. "It really got blown out of proportion." she told reporters.

She claimed she said and did nothing to Robinson and Goodyear, and Goodyear accosted her without provocation. Claiming she did nothing wrong, Rocco nonetheless expressed regret at using racist language.

Ultimately, however, she blamed her using the word on Goodyear. "It takes a deep amount of rage for someone to use that word," she said.

She also evoked the First Amendment. "Everyone gets to say whatever they want, but I get punished?" she said.

Roberson told the News-Register she has no comment on Rocco's remarks or Friday's court proceedings. "I've received, like, a thousand calls about it, and I just don't want to talk about it anymore," Roberson said.

Comments

Treehouse

Nope. Read through the charging sheet. Nothing in there about not "saying what you want".

Turns out all her neighbors ask is that she stop waving around deadly weapons and threatening them. And she will get punished for that.

Still, we all should be asking: How did she become violently radicalized?

Kat758

Treehouse, it seems like it's the way U.S. is turning. We aren't progressing anymore, we are digressing instead and it's sad and worrisome.

Mike

This digital era of the video phone reveals our intimate interactions to the world. How unfair. Do you have friends in the South? I do. Some of them are still waging the Civil War, sorry, the war for independence. There are groups around the world who hold grudges for centuries. They hate another group for centuries. You think we're over that? Too civilized? The video phone shows us who we are at our darkest. Luckily shining a light can dissipate the dark.

treefarmer

Wow. Someone should let this woman know that revisionist history is not effective when the toxic spew was captured on video.

Trafik

“I am not a g------ racist!” shrieked Rocco, spittle spraying from her thin lips as the knife trembled violently in her hand. “I don’t care if you’re all stupid n----- b-----, I love you m------------ equally!” (Paraphrased and composited for effect.)

If this is how Amber Rocco treats those she loves, am I safe in assuming her husband is a masochist? And DHS has custody of her kids? And she’s not allowed within 100 feet of domestic animals? And all her friends have restraining orders?

The nice thing about a woman like Amber Rocco is, if you let her just be herself, she’ll guarantee a conviction. Rock on, Rocco. If you keep it up, Coffee Creek might soon be your new home. In my opinion, Willamina’s too close for your pigsty brand of feculence.

bonnybedlam

"Ultimately, however, she blamed her using the word on Goodyear. "It takes a deep amount of rage for someone to use that word," she said."

You have to wonder where her "deep amount of rage" came from. She claims he struck her first and started the whole thing, apparently from the backseat of the car, without provocation. But she doesn't want to talk about that. We're just expected to believe that she's never used "that word" before, and never will again, because she has Black relatives that she loves. Meaning this is the most enraged she's ever been toward any Black person, ever, and doesn't anticipate ever experiencing that level of rage again.

Nor does her husband want to explain why, "If I had gotten out of the car, I would have gutted that dude[.]" Really? Rocco would have murdered Goodyear but he can't give one single reason beyond the fact that his wife was yelling and spitting on him? I wish we had video of the whole thing from the beginning. I'd bet money that what Rocco describes as Goodyear "striking" her was actually him trying to push her slapping hands out of his car.

Mudstump

If by talking to reporters, Rocco thought that she would some how garner public support for her side of things...well, it didn't work.

"I've never in my life used that word," Rocco said of the racial slur Friday. "I have a very mixed family, and I love them. I love everybody equally. I would never use that word ever again."

People who have "love in their heart for everybody" don't act like this. As my mother used to say....she had a bee in her bonnet that day and it seems like it didn't take much to set her off on a racist and threatening tirade.

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