Minnesota prosecutors on Tuesday filed misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges against a woman accused of using a racist slur against a Black child at a Rochester playground last spring — an episode that sparked outrage, fueled a viral video, and led to her raising more than $800,000 online.
The criminal complaint describes the defendant’s behavior as “offensive, obscene, abusive, boisterous, or noisy conduct, or … language that would reasonably tend to arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others.” She was charged by summons with three counts of disorderly conduct, each carrying a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, though sentences in cases like this tend to be lighter. Her arraignment is set for Oct. 29.
The April incident first drew attention after a bystander recorded a confrontation at a local park. The video, which has been viewed millions of times, shows the woman admitting she used a racial epithet toward the child, flipping off the man who challenged her, and doubling down when pressed about her language.
Court documents now provide more detail about what happened that day. The 8-year-old boy, whose father later told police he is autistic and requires close supervision, had taken an applesauce pouch from another family’s diaper bag. His father chased him in hopes of retrieving it. The defendant also pursued him, and when the boy scrambled onto playground equipment to get away, she repeatedly called him the slur, according to the complaint. After she grabbed the pouch back, the witness who recorded the incident asked why she used the epithet. The complaint says she admitted to it, saying she could “if he acts like one.” When challenged further, she turned her anger on the witness and used the same epithet against him.
The fallout has been complicated. While the woman has cast herself as a victim of “misinformation” and used the attention to raise over $800,000 on the Christian fundraising platform GiveSendGo, Rochester’s Black community has rallied around the family. The local NAACP launched its own fundraising campaign, raising $340,000 before closing it at the family’s request.
“This was a situation that deeply affected many people, especially our communities of color,” Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said in a statement. “We acknowledge the lasting impact this incident has had … not only on those directly involved and across our community, but also in the broader conversations happening at the state and national level.”
The NAACP chapter has been working with the family to explore civil action. “Their child was victimized and traumatized with the racist and hateful rhetoric and actions,” chapter president Walé Elegbede said. “It’s not just the child; the family was impacted.”
Elegbede added a reminder about what should have been a simple moment at the park. “If the child does something, a responsible adult will talk to the child with empathy, not with hate and vitriol,” he said. “And when she had opportunities, there was no remorse whatsoever.”
