More than $600,000 has been raised for a White Minnesota mom who admitted to calling a Black autistic boy the N-word during a confrontation at a playground.
Per the New York Post, the woman, identified as Shiloh Hendrix, was recorded calling the minor the racial slur at a playground in Rochester last week. The man who witnessed Hendrix’s actions and filmed her was identified as Sharmake Omar.
In the wake of the incident, Hendrix set up the fundraiser to raise money to enable her to relocate with her family because they were allegedly being threatened. She also claimed their relocation was necessary because her personal details had been leaked.
RELATED STORIES
“I recently had a kid steal from my 18month old sons diaper bag at a park. I called the kid out for what he was,” Hendrix wrote in her fundraising campaign. “Another man, who we recently found out has had a history with law enforcement, proceeded to record me and follow me to my car. He then posted these videos online which has caused my family, and myself, great turmoil,” she said about Omar.
She added: “My SSN has been leaked. My address, and phone number have been given out freely. My family members are being attacked. My eldest child may not be going back to school. Even where I exercise has been exposed.”
Hendrix also claimed she and her family had been “threatened to the extreme by people online” and she feared that they had to relocate. “I have two small children who do not deserve this,” she wrote. “We cannot, and will not live in fear!” she also said.
In the video in question, Omar, who is also Black, is heard confronting Hendrix after she allegedly hurled the racial slur at the minor. When Omar asks Hendrix if she indeed used that offensive language, she replies “Yeah.”
“He took my son’s stuff,” Hendrix is heard saying. Omar is also heard asking her if the minor’s actions warranted her use of the racial slur. “If that’s what he’s going to act like,” she is heard saying before she repeatedly hurls out the N-word again at Omar.
In an interview with NBC News, Omar said the 5-year-old suffers from autism and his parents hail from Somalia. He also said the minor’s parents were attending to their three other children when Hendrix confronted the boy.
“That little boy … was visibly upset by the incident,” Omar recalled. Besides using the racial slur, Hendrix is also accused of telling Omar that he and his wife should stop conceiving more children because they are negatively impacting the welfare system. Minnesota is known for being a refugee haven.
And though Hendrix in the fundraiser claimed that Omar had a criminal record, information from the state court disclosed that she had also been convicted of crimes including driving under the influence, disorderly conduct, and brawling, the New York Post reported.
The Rochester Police Department has since launched an investigation into the incident. The Minnesota Democratic delegation in a statement on Thursday also condemned Hendrix’s actions and commended Omar for “standing up and protecting one of our youngest community members, a five-year-old boy, from this targeted hate.”
“We condemn these vile acts of racism in the strongest way possible. This disgusting rhetoric has no place in our community, and we’re grateful that a bystander took action and prevented further escalation by the perpetrator,” the statement said.
“This type of learned hate has been fueled by the Trump Administration’s own rhetoric, empowering those with hate in their heart to shamelessly spread it around. This has created real consequences for our friends, family members, and neighbors.
“We must all take the initiative to call out hatred and bigotry wherever we see it and have conversations with those close to us, including our children, about why we must not follow in the footsteps of these bullies, no matter if they’re in the White House or on the playground.”
READ ALSO: ‘I hate them so much’ – Cincinnati officer recorded using N-word fired
