Woman who called child racist slurs at Rochester park found guilty of disorderly conduct

A woman who started an online fundraiser that garnered hundreds of thousands of dollars after she called a child with autism racial slurs at a southern Minnesota park has been convicted of a misdemeanor.

The 37-year-old Rochester woman was found guilty of one count of disorderly conduct Thursday, according to court records. She was acquitted on another count of the same and sentenced to a year of supervised probation and 200 hours of community service.

The racist tirade occurred at Roy Sutherland Playground in Rochester in April of last year. According to a criminal complaint, an 8-year-old Somali boy took an applesauce pouch from the woman's diaper bag, which prompted her to repeatedly target the child with racial slurs. The boy's father told investigators he is "profoundly and visibly autistic" and "does not understand typical boundaries."

In a viral video of a subsequent confrontation, the woman admitted to using the slurs, "stating that she can call him that 'if he acts like one,'" the complaint said. She also called the witness who recorded the video a slur. Following the verbal abuse, the boy's family said they "no longer feel safe" in the community.

After the video surfaced, the woman started a crowdfunding campaign, which she said was necessary to protect her family. It raised more than $859,000. The Rochester branch of the NAACP started a GoFundMe for the child and his family that raised less than half that amount.