Woman caught in "N-word" tirade in Rochester raises $600K via fundraiser, sparking community backlash
A video recorded at a Rochester, Minnesota, playground of a woman repeatedly shouting a racial slur has garnered strong responses from activist groups.
The video captures Sharmake Omar confronting a woman about calling his child the N-word at Roy Sutherland Playground, according to CBS affiliate KIMT-TV. The woman appears to call Omar the N-word in the video, which was taken late last month, and admits to calling the boy the racial slur.
The woman accused the boy of stealing from her child's diaper bag, according to the description of an online fundraiser created by her. Omar, who spoke over the phone with KIMT-TV, doesn't believe the accusation.
The woman says she started the fundraiser to help protect her family in response to the video going viral. The fundraiser has raised over $600,000 so far.
The Rochester branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) also created an online fundraiser, which it says was meant to support the boy and his family. That fundraiser, which is no longer active, raised $341,594.
"Public parks should be safe, inclusive spaces for children and families—not sites of hate and trauma," the NAACP said in a written release on Thursday.
Omar told KIMT-TV he's been getting death threats since the video went viral, and he is concerned for his safety.
Minnesota's Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) is calling on the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement to protect the family and bystanders who are reportedly being targeted online.
"It is truly sad that this alleged racist harasser is finding support nationwide for her reported use of the N-word against an innocent child," Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-MN, said on Monday.
The Rochester Police Department has completed an investigation into the video, according to KIMT-TV, and findings have been submitted to the city's attorney's office for review.
