Father And Two Daughters Brutally Attacked By Neighbors On Memorial Day, Suspected To Be Racially Motivated

Memorial day took a tragic turn for a family in Bucks County, Philadelphia when they were brutally attacked by neighbors. The victims, a white family in the Juaniata section of Philadelphia, were attacked by a group of approximately twenty black neighbors while spending time at a family member’s house. According to the victims, they were targets of racism and did not deserve to be attacked. The father was beaten unconscious during the attack and both of his daughters, ages twelve and fourteen, were taken to the hospital to be treated for head trauma. Neighbors responded that the father started the fight.

The man and his children have not been identified, according to NBC Philadelphia, to protect the identity of the minors that were harmed in the attack. The father stated that he was enjoying a Memorial Day cookout with family when neighbors began to instigate insults toward the white family. In the recent past, the father’s daughters and son were victims of name calling and bullying by younger kids and teenagers in the area. His 12-year-old daughter suffers from asthma and Asperger’s syndrome, his 14-year-old daughter from Type-1 diabetes, and his 6-year-old son has autism. The father stated that the bullies threw bricks at his children during one incident.

The father revealed that many of the neighbors were harassing his family as they tried to celebrate the holiday in peace. During the harassment, one of his daughters was pinched.

The father was worried that the situation would escalate out of control and decided that it was best to leave. However, as he gathered his daughters and son, a mob of 20 people, mostly teenagers and women, prevented them from leaving. A couple of the neighbors attempted to pull the man’s brother-in-law from the porch while his daughters were attacked by other members of the mob. Before he could react, the father was hit by a man wearing brass knuckles until he lost consciousness. The same man hit his 14-year-old daughter in the back of the head, while a woman grabbed his other daughter by the hair and slammed her head against a railing.

The Burning Truth reported that a witness called the police and the fight broke up soon after. Some witnesses claim that the father started the fight. Regardless of who started the fight, it is inexcusable that the young girls, both with mental handicaps, were harmed in the skirmish. There is no information whether the 20 individuals will face charges in the attacks.

[Photo Courtesy: NBC Philadelphia]