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Black Teacher Accuses White Supremacist Group Of ‘Racial Attack’ As He Was Playing Saxophone

@SpectacularMag
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Charles Murrell, center, fends off a marcher from a group bearing insignias of the white supremacist group Patriot Front on July 2, 2022, in Boston. The Black musician who says members of the white nationalist hate group punched, kicked, and beat him with metal shields during a march through Boston in 2022 sued the organization on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (Photo: Michael Dwyer)

Charles Murrell III is a teacher and musician who lives in the Boston area. He says that on July 2, 2022, he went to the area surrounding the Boston Public Library to play his saxophone. 

He alleges that in the middle of his performance, he was surrounded by members of the Patriot Front, a white supremacist hate group from Texas. He was brutally punched, kicked, and beaten with metal shields during their march through the Boston area last year.

Murrell claims it was a “coordinated, brutal, and racially motivated attack.” He was taken to the hospital and treated for lacerations which required stitches, according to the Associated Press.

As a result of the injuries he sustained and the unwarranted reasoning for his alleged assault, Murrell filed a lawsuit on August 8, 2023, against the white supremacist group.

“As a result of this beating, Mr. Murrell sustained physical injuries to his face, head, and hand, all of which required medical attention. Mr. Murrell also continues to suffer significant emotional distress to this day as a result of the incident,” the suit says.

“Among other harms, those physical and emotional injuries have adversely affected Mr. Murrell’s ability to earn a living as a musician.”

He has “been plagued by severe anxiety, mental anguish, invasive thoughts, and emotional distress, including, but not limited to, persistent concern for his physical safety and loss of sleep,” and “routinely has nightmares and flashbacks,” according to the suit.

A year ago, shortly after the alleged incident occurred, Murrell urged the city to open an investigation. But since it has remained open and no one from the Patriot Front has been charged with any crimes, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office.

Murrell is seeking civil rights, assault, and battery charges and wants to be compensated for “unspecified damages,” according to AP.

While photos of the incident are available, no video has been released or shared with the public. But the attorney for the Patriot Front, Jason Lee Van Dyke, has implied that there is footage of the incident.

He said, “I happen to have seen the raw video footage and it was clear that Charles Murrell was the aggressor and no one with the Patriot Front did anything unlawful.”