On April 28, 2025, at the Soldiers Field Park playground in Rochester, Minnesota, a White woman—later identified as Shiloh Hendricks—launched a racist tirade while chasing a 5-year-old autistic Black child. Hendricks claimed the child took something out of a diaper bag she left unattended in the public park.
While she doesn't specify what he took, she's seen carrying the kind of snack pouch that contains applesauce or other fruit or vegetable puree. She's not, however, carrying the diaper bag.
She called the small child the n-word, among other insults.
When confronted by a bystander, Hendricks repeated the slur multiple times while blaming the 5-year-old autistic child for her behavior. She also directed her Islamaphobia at the man behind the camera, mimicking ululations.
You can see censored video of the incident here:
At no point did Hendricks show regret or remorse for her actions.
But once video of her racist rant went viral, Hendricks quickly went from portraying herself as righteous defender to helpless victim and had her hand out looking for money.
Hendricks—rebranding herself as Shiloh Hendrix because everyone knows the letter X makes everything cooler—turned to the crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo to use her 15 minutes to get rich. Posting a fundraiser titled "Help Me Protect My Family," Hendricks is hoping hate helps her become a millionaire.
Unsurprising to some while shocking to others, by Sunday she was over halfway there. As of this writing, donations total $669,957.
Ibram X. Kendi/Facebook
GiveSendGo is an American "Christian" crowdfunding website launched in 2015 as an alternative to GoFundMe. The site allows far-right extremists to fundraise, including neo-Nazis, White supremacists, and other White nationalist and Christian nationalist hate groups.
In her description for her money grab, Hendricks wrote:
"I called the kid out for what he was."
And in comments on her fundraiser and on X, a lot of the same attitude was on display.
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After screenshots of comments went viral, GiveSendGo hid them, so donors put their message in their username.
@kalasaurus/Bluesky
Rochester NAACP president Walé Elegbede said to MPR News in reference to Hendricks fundraiser:
"There are hateful groups out there supporting her. That sends a really dangerous message to society."
But even if certain social media platforms make it seem otherwise, not everyone considers Hendricks a hero.
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The Rochester Branch of the NAACP called on the Rochester Police Department and the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office to investigate the park incident and take appropriate action.
They also set up a fundraiser on GoFundMe for the child Hendricks chased in the park.
Rochester NAACP/GoFundMe
The fundraiser was ended after 48 hours, with a total of $341,484 raised, at the request of the child's family.
The Rochester NAACP wrote:
"Thanks to your outpouring of support, we not only met our goal—we surpassed it. Together, we raised $341,484. Love wins! In response to the family’s wishes, we have now closed the GoFundMe page."
"In alignment with State NAACP guidance, 100% of this money, minus standard GoFundMe fees, will be given to the family in a trust account with the parents serving as executors. The responsibility of the trust account will rest solely with the family, as it should."
"The creation of this trust reflects the spirit in which these donations were made—out of love, protection, and a desire to support the long-term well-being of the child and family."
In a statement to MPR News, Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said:
"That a pre-school child was accosted publicly has caused palpable pain throughout our community. As mayor and as a city, we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure we have a community where everyone feels safe, welcome and respected."
But the NAACP's Elegbede stated:
"This is not an isolated incident. It's really an increasing trend."
In the past year, Rochester, Minnesota has seen three incidents of racial slurs making news.
@thekalenallen/Threads
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