Viral video of racial slur incident sparks calls for legal action in Rochester
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Leaders of the Black and Somali American communities in Rochester are calling for legal action after a video surfaced online of a Rochester woman calling a child a racial slur on a playground.
The incident, which happened last week and has drawn national attention, was the focus of a town hall Wednesday, hosted by the Rochester branch of the NAACP.
“When I saw that video, I didn’t just see a child; I saw myself,” Salah Mohamed, an imam in Rochester, told the crowd at the Rochester Civic Center. “I saw my own son. I saw every child in our community who’s ever had to carry that same pain.”
Mohamed said growing up in Rochester, he was routinely called the “N-word” while riding his bike or standing outside his mosque.
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“Not because of anything I did, but because of who I am,” he said.
Mohamed was among several speakers at the Rochester town hall who want charges to be filed against the woman in the video. He said it will show that Rochester is willing to protect children from harm.
Law enforcement investigated the incident and referred it to the city attorney’s office, which is considering next steps.
Meanwhile, Shiloh Hendrix, the woman who allegedly made the racist comments in the video, has raised about $750,000. She said she needed the money to relocate her family after getting threats.
Her campaign is hosted on a site that’s aimed at raising money for Christian causes. Donor names and comments referencing racist slurs, which initially appeared on the fundraising page, now appear to have been taken down.
Members of the child’s family did not attend the town hall. In a statement, they say they’ve felt scared to speak out publicly. The family authorized a fundraising effort by the Rochester branch of the NAACP that pulled in more than $300,000. That effort has now concluded.
“The family is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support during this incredibly difficult time,” NAACP officials said in a statement.
Rochester resident Sharmake Omar recorded the video, in which he confronted the woman for her comments directed at the child. He told the crowd at the Rochester town hall that before doing so, he had never spoken in front of people. But he wanted to protect the child. He said he’s now the subject of online hate.
“I have death threats against me online, phone calls and my information has been leaked online as well,” he said. “My family is safe at this moment, but one thing that I must say is, don’t let this die down at this moment and move on. We’ve got to make changes.”
Zeinab Hasan, a community organizer working with Somali Americans in Rochester, said the family of the child is new to the country — their migration here already a traumatic experience.
“They’ve practically been through a lot and a lot of trauma, I’m guessing, on their own, but to add to their trauma and to their new experience of being in America is probably so traumatic,” she said.
Hasan has a young child of her own. And she said the video has sparked fear in her and her friends who are suddenly cautious about venturing out to parks and other public places.
But she doesn’t want the incident to keep her from going out. “I’m just going to be more aware,” she said.
Hasan, who grew up in Rochester, said the incident in the video doesn’t reflect a place she’s always known to be welcoming.
Nancy Handlon hopes to send a welcoming message to the Black and Somali American community. She’s a retired clergy with Christ United Methodist Church. She has two adopted Black sons and said they experienced racism as children.
She said she wants to emphasize that Rochester is “making steps forward in the right direction” and pointed to a sign saying, “Not In Our Town.”
Handlon added that she’s shocked the woman who made the racist comments has been fundraising on a Christian site.
“It’s not the form of Christianity that the vast majority of Christians believe in,” she said.