ROCHESTER — The Rochester Branch of the NAACP created a fundraiser for the family of the child who had racial slurs directed toward him at the local park, according to a GoFundMe campaign.
The crowdfunding campaign was posted after a fundraiser created by the user “ Shiloh Hendrix,” who claims to be the woman involved in the video, raised more than $250,000 through GiveSendGo, another online fundraising platform.
“We’ve been asked by countless community members how they can help,” the Rochester Branch of the NAACP wrote in the fundraiser description. “This campaign is our answer.”
The video depicted a man confronting the woman for calling a Black child a racial slur at the Soldiers Field Park playground. Though the original video was taken down, Michael McWhorter, known online as TizzyEnt, reposted the video on Wednesday, April 30, to his more than 9.5 million followers across TikTok , Instagram , X and YouTube. The video has more than 10.1 million views as of Friday morning.
The video drew outrage from local leaders. Mayor Kim Norton said “it was especially concerning that an adult used this language toward a young child — and the rest of the exchange in front of children and others. I want Rochester to be better than this and we should do all we can to end racism in our community.”
Walé Elegbede, president of the Rochester Branch of the NAACP, called the video “deeply disturbing.”
The Rochester Police Department is aware of the video and is “gathering information and actively looking into the matter,” according to Amanda Grayson, communications coordinator for the department.
The fundraiser for the family was created on Thursday night, May 1, and has raised more than $5,000 as of Friday morning. The page does not list the name of the family involved.
“Let us be clear: this was not a misunderstanding or a moment of poor judgment—this was a deliberate, racist, and threatening attack on a young Black child. Public parks should be safe, welcoming places for all children and families—not sites of hate and trauma,” the Rochester Branch of the NAACP wrote in the campaign’s description.
The GoFundMe campaign, titled “Help Us Seek Justice for a 5-Year-Old Facing Racial Hate,” has a goal of raising $250,000 for the following causes:
“Legal redress and social justice efforts in support of the child and family
Legal advocacy and accountability efforts
Broader social justice and anti-racism work in Rochester to change the culture and ensure this never happens again.”
In the crowdfunding campaign created by Hendrix, she claims her Social Security number, home address, phone number and place she works out have all been leaked to the public.
Hendrix alleges the individual who stepped in to film the video proceeded to follow her to her car and claims he has a criminal history. The Post Bulletin has not yet been able to identify the person who filmed the video. The TikTok account of the original poster has since been privated.
Hendrix’s fundraising goal was set for $250,000 and has raised over $265,000, as of Friday morning.
“Many of the comments from her supporters celebrate and justify her hate,” the Rochester Branch of the NAACP wrote in the campaign.
The GoFundMe campaign added that this is not the only racist incident to occur recently in Rochester.
In April 2024, a racial slur was spelled out using plastic cups in the chain-link fence on the pedestrian bridge over East Circle Drive near Century High School.
After RPD identified four teenagers responsible for the act, former Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem said his office would not file charges in connection with the racial slur in the chain-link fence. While the incident was offensive, Ostrem wrote at the time, it has protection under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Four months later in August, Rep. Kim Hicks, a first-term DFL member of the Minnesota House, found racist graffiti painted on her shed, a swastika on a window of her home, and paint over all but one of the surveillance cameras around her house.
“It’s about who we are as a community and what we choose to stand for,” the fundraiser said. “Help us match the funds raised in defense of hate with an equal force of love, justice, and action.”
A second crowdfunding fundraiser in response to Hendrix’s campaign was created Friday morning, May 2, by Non-Profit Wrench Inc. The Kasson-based business aims to raise money for “local BIPOC clients of Non-Profit Wrench Inc. dealing with poverty,” the fundraiser said.
The GoFundMe campaign, called “Stand Against Racism: Help Rochester BIPOC Thrive,” set a goal of $25,000.
