ROCHESTER, Minn. — In the days after a social media video went viral showing a white woman yelling racial slurs at a Rochester park, local law enforcement and leaders of Rochester’s Black community struggled to identify the Black family whose 5-year-old son was the target of the racial epithets.

There were three separate sources claiming to be the victims at Soldiers Memorial Field Park where the incident occurred, according to authorities. Late last week, Rochester police concluded that the third’s claims were credible. Those made by the first two were fraudulent, a Black leader told the Rochester Post Bulletin.

Last Thursday, the family of the 5-year-old boy believed to be the actual victims of the racial slur contacted representatives of the Rochester branch of the NAACP. The Rochester branch leadership advised the family to go to the police.

“(Police) confirmed with us that (they are) 100% confident that this is the right family,” said Wale Elegbede, president of the NAACP’s Rochester branch.

Identity of family wasn’t accurate

More than a week after the racial slur incident appeared on social media the identity of the family wasn’t known. It also happened during a time when different individuals claimed to speak for the family.

For a time, Rochester’s NAACP leaders believed the claims of the first two. During a town hall meeting aimed at addressing racism earlier this month, Elegbede read a statement that came from the first group claiming to be the family.

The GoFundMe fundraiser that has since raised $340,000 for the family was launched before anyone knew who the real family was.

That first group was represented by a spokesperson who appeared on Facebook Live with Journie founder Nashauna Johnson-Lenoir. NAACP leaders became suspicious after they asked the organization to write them a check, which they did not do.

Investigation

Last Monday, the Rochester Police Department announced that it completed its investigation into the viral video and handed it over to the Rochester city attorney for possible charges. But it wasn’t until days later that the department’s investigation identified the real family.

The second group at first seemed credible because they had gone to the trouble of filing a report with Rochester police. Seeking to capitalize on public sympathies, they created a GoFundMe page. But the effort was paused by GoFundMe at the request of the Rochester NAACP. When a third source came forward last week claiming to be the real family, police were able to establish the veracity of the third family’s claims.

“That is very sad, and questions need to be asked,” Elegbede said.

The NAACP sent out a statement earlier this week, characterizing suggestions that any of the $340,000 raised by the branch had been directed to the wrong family as “categorically false.”

“No funds have been disbursed at this time,” the statement said. “We have been aware for some time of multiple individuals claiming to be the correct family. Amid the influx of misinformation, we have remained focused on working closely with the Rochester Police Department to ensure accuracy and protect the integrity of the process.”

The Rochester Police Department also issued a statement Monday, saying that new information had been obtained that “conflicts with original statements regarding this incident.” A police spokeswoman declined to comment further.

April 28 incident

The incident that happened April 28 at a playground at Soldiers Field Park involved a white woman who later seemingly identified herself as Shiloh Hendrix, reportedly using a racial slur toward the boy. Cellphone video shows her as a man confronts her. She then repeats the epithet to the man filming the video and accuses the child of stealing from her.

When asked why it has been so difficult to identify the real family, Elegbede said the organization sought to do its due diligence.

“We’ve talked to multiple families. We talked to family No. 2 and we talked to family No. 3,” Elegbede said.

Elegbede said he met the real family for the first time last weekend. He also declined to identify them, citing a volatile environment in which everyone from Elegbede to the person who took the video is getting death threats.

“We cannot put the family at risk,” he said. “Their child is so important. You’re dealing with a lot of stuff with your child, and now to have the media stuff. That does not serve their family.”

Elegbede also confirmed that the $340,000 raised by the Rochester branch has been put in a trust for the family’s benefit. So far, no money has been accessed. The family, he said, has been provided legal representation, and details about how the money is to be accessed are being “ironed out.”

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