In Fort Wayne, Indiana, video footage shows a woman pursuing a boy around an elementary school playground with a knife. Terra Roling, the so-called "Karen," reportedly threatened the child with a knife and shouted racist insults. The brawl erupted when Roling's kid informed her that he was assaulted by the other child.
According to reports, a 32-year-old Indiana woman is accused of threatening a teen boy with a knife on an elementary school playground. Terra Roling was with her children at the Weisser Park Elementary School playground in Fort Wayne on May 15, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. After her 13-year-old son said that he and another child had been "battered" by the teen, she confronted him with a knife in her hand.
Viral Indiana woman faces charges after threatening a boy with a knife
According to the affidavit, Roling verbally confronted him by threatening him while wielding a knife. The incident escalated as Roling's actions got increasingly violent. The document says that Roling then proceeded to sprint towards the male juvenile and other kids who were with him.
Some of the interaction was recorded on mobile phone video. Roling is heard shouting racial insults at the teen in the video. Soon after the incident, the video went viral, earning Roling the title "Karen with a knife" on social media, The Charlotte Observer via MSN reported.
Despite the internet attention, Roling was not charged for over two months. The reason for this, according to Fort Wayne police, is because the families involved opted to deal with the matter without seeking legal help. However, the Changemakers, a local activist organization, has a different perspective.
This racist white bitch chased a Black boy around with a knife calling him nigger and i'm over America now. pic.twitter.com/i9Kccw1Zdc
— THEE Aggressively Black Bianca (@TheeKHiveQueenB) July 22, 2021
Per Newsweek, the video went viral immediately; but it wasn't until Wednesday, nearly two months after the event, that local police filed charges against the woman. According to the Fort Wayne Police Department, Roling's charges were not initially filed because the children's parents opted to settle the case without going to court.
The activist group speaks on behalf of the family
However, ChangeMakers of Fort Wayne, a local racial justice organization, said that the boy's parents were unaware of the video until it was brought to their notice by the organization. "As soon as we showed them the video, they wanted to go down and press charges," ChangeMakers member Alisha Rauch said.
She and Daylana Saunders, another member of the group, launched a public campaign to call attention to Roling's conduct. They created videos and social media posts asking people to contact local officials and demand that Roling face criminal charges.
The Allen County Prosecutor's Office filed an affidavit against Roling on Wednesday. She was then charged with criminal intimidation on two counts. Roling's felony charges should be lowered to misdemeanors, according to ChangeMakers; and prosecutors should not allow her to make a plea deal.
According to Saunders, the boy's parents have avoided speaking to the press for fear of expressing their anger. "We hope that the community understands that when we work together, we can reveal the disparities in our system," she continued.
The parents of the children in the video, according to WANE 15's Briana Brownlee, did not want to speak to the press or be in the spotlight. The family is happy and ecstatic, according to Rauch, after discovering that charges have been filed. The confrontation was captured on video, and there were calls for Roling's arrest on social media.
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