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Jury selection begins Monday in the trial of a woman who hurled racial slurs at a young Black autistic child last year on a Rochester playground.

The incident, which was caught on video and went viral, led to Rochester City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage charging Shiloh Hendrix, 37, with 

. Hendrix has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count. 

The jury will decide if Hendrix’s actions were unlawful and likely to cause violence, as the prosecution alleges, or if they are protected under the First Amendment, as Hendrix’s attorney Brian Karalus contests.  

Karalus did not respond to MPR News’ request for comment. Spindler-Krage’s office declined interviews before the trial begins.

Walé Elegbede, Rochester NAACP chapter president, said everyone should pay attention to the Hendrix trial.

“It really talks about the fabric of society that we live in,” said Elegbede, who is running for Rochester mayor. “If we want a society where we have freedoms, where we have love and respect for one another, we can't have adults going about traumatizing children. We just can't have that.”

Hendrix berated an 8-year-old boy who reached into her diaper bag at Soldier's Field Park and took an applesauce pouch in April 2025. According to court documents submitted by the state, the boy’s father said

his son is profoundly and visibly autistic and does not understand typical boundaries. 

Observers at the park said Hendrix chased the Black child and repeatedly hurled the N-word at him. Rochester resident Sharmake Omar filmed himself confronting Hendrix, which went viral.  

After the video took off, Hendrix posted online that she received threats and asked for money to help relocate her family. She has raised almost $850,000 from supporters.

“Our freedom of speech is under attack,” Hendrix wrote on the crowdfunding site GiveSendGo in June. “Europeans are under attack. We see it more and more everyday. It's sickening. It needs to stop. We have to keep fighting. I refuse to let our folk be silenced and erased.” 

Elegbede said the crowdfunding component is particularly concerning.

“As a society, that's a very, very dangerous message, and so we had to act,” Elegbede said. “We had to act on behalf of the family. We had to act to counter the message of hate with love. And we galvanize our community together.”

The NAACP began a separate fundraising campaign to support the young boy’s family and 

 and the state to hold Hendrix accountable. 

Rochester has experienced similar incidents in recent years. In 2024, Rochester police 

investigated a racial slur posted on a pedestrian bridge

. That same year, DFL Representative Kim Hicks of Rochester 

 that Nazi symbols and racial slurs had been spray-painted on her home. 

While Hendrix’s team argues her case is about freedom of speech, Elegbede said it is about actions that cause serious harm. 

“No child should ever be subjected to what occurred in Rochester,” Elegbede said. “No child should ever have to feel dehumanized and unsafe by the actions of an adult based on the color of your skin.”

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Jury selection begins Monday morning in the trial of a woman who hurled a racial slur at a young Black autistic child on a Rochester playground last year. Up for debate — whether her actions were unlawful disorderly conduct or protected free speech.

Wide shot of a courthouse. On the sidewalk in front, white supremacist protesters carry signs.

Payton Whaley | MPR News

White supremacist protesters hold posterboard signs reading "Our people, our priority" and "Normalize white unity."

Trial begins Monday for woman who called Black child a racial slur in Rochester

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