Rochester NAACP Issues Statement on Behalf of Family Targeted by Racist Incident at Soldiers Field Playground

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The family of the child targeted by a racist incident at a Rochester park has issued a statement. 

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They released the statement through the Rochester Branch of the NAACP in order to maintain their anonymity. The statement is available in full below. 

The family says the April 28 incident has inflicted pain and has caused them to no longer feel safe in their home and community. 

Family of Child Targeted by Racial Slur at Soldiers Field Playground in Rochester Playground Releases Statement

Part of the statement reads, “our children are afraid of going to the public parks and playgrounds. We constantly worried about our surroundings. We all experienced the racial trauma that occurred.” 

The incident was captured in a viral video that showed a woman being confronted for allegedly directing a racist slur at a young child and then repeating the slur multiple times at the person recording it at Soldiers Field Park. 

In publishing the family’s statement, the Rochester NAACP also re-upped calls for the Rochester City Attorney's Office, and the Olmsted County Attorney's Office to file all appropriate charges in the case. 

Earlier this month, the Rochester Police Department finished their investigation into the incident and forwarded their findings to the City Attorney. 

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A week after announcing the investigation’s completion, Rochester police issued a statement saying investigators obtained information that conflicted with original statements concerning the incident. 

Police gathered additional statements and evidence related to the identities and the entered actions of those involved. 

Following the police department’s second statement, the NAACP said the conflicting information concerned the identification of the child who was called the racist slur during the incident. 

As of Friday morning no charging decision has been made in the case. Upon the completion of the investigation, the city of Rochester issued a statement saying in part the review of the case will “proceed deliberately, but with an appropriate sense of urgency.” 

Below are the latest statements from the family and the Rochester NAACP.