On Sunday night, 20-year-old Sharmeka Moffitt was walking through a park in northeastern Lousiana when three men approached her, covered her in flammable liquid, and set her on fire. Sharmeka put out the flames with a spigot and called 911. She suffered burns to over half of her body and was still in the hospital in critical condition as of yesterday.
The three men also wrote the letters ‘KKK’ and a racial slur on her car in a paste-like substance. The FBI is reportedly investigating the case as a ‘possible hate crime’, and Louisiana State Police have picked up the investigation. Her attackers have not been identified and no arrests have been made.
There’s speculation that she was targeted not only for being black but also because she was wearing an Obama t-shirt (Moffitt’s mother later clarified that this was not true).
No matter what t-shirt was worn, it seems pretty clear that this was a racially charged and horrific attack. News of Sharmeka’s nightmarish attack spread through social media, as opposed to coverage by major news outlets, which are just now starting to pick up the story.
Otis Chisley, president of the local NAACP branch, talked about continued KKK activity in our country, stating, “It’s prevalent throughout Louisiana. It’s hidden, but it exists.”
Image via yourblackworld.net
