In a disturbing video that was streamed on Facebook LIVE, four Chicagoans are seen terrorizing a mentally disabled man for being a Donald Trump supporter. A young woman by the name of Brittany Herring (Brittany Covington) posted the video on her Facebook page where it accumulated over 16,000 views. In the video, Herring and three other people, who have now been identified, mock, berate, gag, and beat the helpless individual while laughing and talking to their viewers.
The perpetrators can be heard saying “F*** Donald Trump” and “F*** white people” throughout the 30-minute ordeal. In another clip that may or may not have been shown on Herring’s Facebook LIVE feed, two men force the young man down a short hallway and into a bathroom where they force him to drink toilet water or be beaten. Though the video linked only lasts 30 minutes, the young man was held by the criminals for 24-48 hours.
The young man was ultimately forced into a corner of a small room where two of the individuals brandished knives and proceeded to cut the man’s clothes and cut chunks out of his hair. At one point Herring shows that the young man had actually been cut by the knife and is bleeding from his scalp. Throughout the video, the people call for the man to be beaten.
According to Herring’s own words in the video, her younger sister was one of the 16,000 viewers. Herring’s sister, who thankfully has some form of a conscience, tells the perpetrators that what they are doing is “not funny” and that they will be “going to jail.” Ultimately, this was the case. The perpetrators were found and arrested and with all certainty will face battery charges at the minimum.
Pictured Top (left to right): Brittany Covington, Tanishia Covington
Pictured Bottom (left to right): Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper
While many people say they are fearful of a Donald Trump presidency and say they are victims of harassment and hate crimes perpetrated by Donald Trump supporters, the same people forget that an animosity for Donald Trump and his supporters exists. This is not the first time that a Donald Trump supporter has been beaten by people with opposing views. A couple months ago a video recording, in Chicago, showed an older man being dragged from his car and beaten for being a Trump supporter. Regardless of who the victim is, regardless of their political leanings or the color of their skin, videos like this are hard to stomach and should make everyone stop and think about how Americans treat one another.
2016 has ended and it will go down as one of the most divisive years in the nation’s history. 2017 is supposed to be a "better year." Whether it be down political or racial lines, there is a divide in this country that needs to be overcome. This divisiveness is not going to go away if both sides cannot find common ground and treat each other with some form of respect and human decency. When horrific and disturbing attacks like this occur the American people need to stand together, condemn it, and quickly hold those involved accountable.
The American people need to call this attack, and others like it, what it is: a hate crime. Hate crime charges have been officially filed and this should be recognized by the public and the mainstream media across the nation. This case deserves the same amount of coverage and consideration as the other examples of hate crimes and police brutality against African Americans. The horrors shown in this video reveal to the American people that racism is a two-way street. For those who say otherwise when this video and the images from it are right in front of their eyes, they are the problem this country faces.
There seems to be a prevailing narrative that white people cannot be discriminated against or be victims of hate crimes. This story may, and should, change that narrative. When a white individual is the victim of a hate crime it should not be brushed off and treated any differently.
There are victims on both sides of the political spectrum and victims from every race. It is time to recognize that and it is time for Americans to stand up for one another regardless of political affiliation and skin color. A moral evil is a moral evil and it should be identified, called out, and destroyed by society. Hopefully, the four individuals involved will go to prison interminably.
