A new viral video being shared on social media allegedly shows a crowd of White men in Indiana threatening to lynch a Black man. According to Time, Vauhxx Booker — an Indiana civil rights activist, and member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission — posted a video of the incident that took place over the Fourth of July weekend, near a lake.
Booker stated that the men informed him he was trespassing, prompting him to apologize. He claims the interaction did not end there, however, and stated that the men attacked him. Booker alleged that the men threatened to do bodily harm to him, while someone yelled to “get a noose.” He also stated that one of the men had a hat emblazoned with a Confederate flag, and that some of the men used the term “white power.” In one of the clips that Booker posted, a white man is shown holding Booker up against a tree. Another video shows a different man calling someone a “nappy headed (expletive).” In yet another clip, that same man yells, “You invaded us!” and then calls someone from Booker’s group a “stupid (expletive) liberal (expletive).”
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Shocking video of a racist attack against a Black man in southern Indiana goes viral. A group of hite men holds Vauhxx Booker against a tree south of Bloomington. He said the men threatened to break his arms, even after a woman tried to step and help. https://t.co/f2Cjtuny6H pic.twitter.com/YF4QkPVO4Q
— CBS Chicago (@cbschicago) July 7, 2020
According to The Hill, authorities are actively investigating the incident, though no arrests have been made at this time. “The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division is working diligently with the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office to ensure a lawful resolution. This matter remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time,” DNR police told The Hill. Notably, Bloomington, Indiana Mayor John Hamilton has stated that he’s reached out to Governor Eric Holcomb regarding the incident.
“These incidents affect us all, and I have reached out to the Governor, Prosecutor, and the victims in order to advocate for my residents who were victims of these great injustices. Although neither event occurred inside the city limits, under my jurisdiction, I will continue to call for and demand justice,” Hamilton wrote in Facebook post. Booker later added, “My enduring gratitude to those who stopped merely being bystanders and acted to aid me, who told the police what they’d seen and heard, and who shared my outrage at DNR’s and our Prosecutor’s office inaction.”
