NYC mom of Black teen attacked wants hate crime justice: 'My son is a good kid'
BROOKLYN (PIX11) – The mother of a Black teenager beaten in a racially motivated attack in New York City on Monday is demanding justice.
Monique Whyte joined clergy at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn on Friday to call for action.
“It’s a hate crime; they threw bananas and called him the N-word,” Whyte said.
Whyte’s son was assaulted on Monday at the subway station by a group of teens. Three teens surrounded her son. He attempted to run, but his attackers chased him and even threw a banana at him before assaulting him, according to footage obtained by PIX11 News.
The group of teens yelled racial slurs during the attack, sources said.
A few people who witnessed the attack intervened to help.
Whyte said her son has been left traumatized. She said she usually takes her son to school, but that day he went alone.
“They threw a banana at him, they hit him in the face, they beat him, and posted pictures of him on the floor. They chased him and beat him again at another section of this train station, and it's wrong. They chose the wrong Black boy. I want something done because my son is a good kid.”
The community and clergy standing with Whyte also questioned the police's absence during the attack. They say local members plan to do their part to prevent anything like this from happening again.
Police have arrested one teen, who faces charges of robbery, gang assault, and assault as a hate crime, police said. The other two suspects are still at large. Sources said they believe police are close to making more arrests related to the attack.
Due to the suspect being a minor, his name has not been released.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.