Police: Man forced woman to watch ‘Roots’ for racism lessons

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – An eastern Iowa man is accused of forcing a woman to watch the nine-hour miniseries “Roots,” threatening her and telling her the episodic drama would make her better understand her racism.

52-year-old Robert Noye is charged in Cedar Rapids with harassment and false imprisonment.

The woman told police that Noye made her sit with him to watch the miniseries. It was based on author Alex Haley’s family history, from the capture and enslavement of his ancestor Kunta Kinte in Africa to the liberation of Kinte’s descendants.

When she tried to move, the woman said, Noye told her to remain seated or he would “kill her and spread her body parts” across the interstate.