Minneapolis (AP) – Minnesota Officers of Justice submitted a crime disorderly behavior against a woman who was accused of using a racist blemish against a black child on a playground – an incident that the woman has since used to collect more than $ 800,000 after having appealed to help with moving.
“The accused wrongly and illegally involved, obscene, offensive, boisterous or noisy behavior, or in offensive, obscene or offensive language that would reasonably have the tendency to arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others,” claims the criminal complaint.
A video on social media from the incident in April, in which the woman admitted to use De Smet, has collected millions of views. It showed a man who confronted her to use the blemish to the child. She then seemed to double the racist term and held a middle finger up for the man who challenged her.
From Tuesday she had picked up more than $ 800,000 on the Christian fundraising platform Giveendgo – including many donations that came in after the charges were announced – with a declared purpose of $ 1 million. In her last update, in June, the woman claimed that she was the victim of 'foolish wrong information'.
“Big things happen with regard to our future,” she wrote. “Playing life-changing events, and we all have to thank for that! I am not going into details, but just know that everything is fine. … Stay for yourself and keep fighting for the first amendment!”
The woman was accused on a summons of three counts of disorderly behavior. Each count has a maximum potential fine of 90 days in prison and a fine of $ 1,000, although the actual sentences in Minnesota are usually lighter. Her preliminary guide was set on October 29.
“This was a situation that caused many people, especially our communities of color, influenced and real unrest in our community,” said Mayor Kim Norton in a statement. “We acknowledge the lasting impact that this incident has had, not only on those who are directly involved and in our community, but also in the broader conversations at state and national level.”
Although the complaint lists a Rochester address for the suspect, it was not immediately clear whether she was still living there, given her declared intention to move. The complaint indicated that the police are trying to make contact with her, were not successful. Court Records said she represented herself.
The first reports said the young victim was 5 years old, but the criminal complaint said he was 8. The child's father told the police that his son is autistic, and because of his disability he does not understand typical social boundaries and requires intensive supervision of the parents. At one point in the park in Rochester, the child took an apple sauce bag from someone else's diaper bag, said it.
The father saw this and chased him to try to pick up the food bag. The suspect also saw it and pursued the child, who climbed on playground equipment to try to get away. She repeatedly called him the racial epitheton, said the complaint, and grabbed the food item from him.
Another person, who recorded the confrontation on his phone, asked her why she used De Smet. The complaint said she admitted that she used it and said that “if he behaves like a one.” When they pressed, the complaint said, she pointed her anger at the witness, called him the same epithet and when she was confronted with her 'hate sows', she used exploring to indicate that she couldn't care.
“Given the sensitive and complicated nature of this case, along with the high level of public attention, completing the necessary assessments and conversations with the victim's family took longer than normal,” said the office of city lawyer Michael Spindler-Krage in the explanation in which the long investigation was explained.
The NAACP Rochester chapter started its own fundraising campaign for the child's family. The GoFundMe page had picked up $ 340,000 when it was closed in May, according to the wishes of the family.
The organization has collaborated with the family to take legal action against the woman in the video, said President Walé Elege of the chapter.
“Their child was the victim and traumatized with the racist and hateful rhetoric and actions,” he said. “It's not just the child; the family was hit.”
Elegbede praised the office of the city lawyer for taking charges and called the “first step” to pursue “justice and accountability”.
“If you have a child and you go to the park, you want to enjoy the park,” he said. “And if the child does something, a responsible adult will talk to the child with empathy, not hatred and vitriol. And there she chose to take it. And when she had opportunities, there was no regrets.”
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Associated Press writer Sarah Raza has contributed to this story of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
