Sixth-grader from Bellingham allegedly beaten by man in racist attack

A sixth-grader from Bellingham was allegedly attacked on Wednesday by a man who made racist comments.

According to a post on the City of Bellingham’s Facebook page, the attack occurred during a school field trip. The Bellingham Herald reported that the 11-year-old boy was hit in the face because of his race.

The Herald cited court documents that said the students were walking north on Grand Avenue near the police station when a man approached them. Bellingham Police Department (BPD) spokeswoman Megan Peters told the Herald that the man then shoved a student and said, “Are you going to talk to a white man like that?” The man then allegedly punched the boy in the face.

The Bellingham-based media outlet cited a probable cause affidavit filed in Whatcom County Superior Court, which states that the boy suffered a broken tooth.

According to the city of Bellingham, police have arrested a suspect and are investigating the attack as a hate crime.

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The suspect is a 42-year-old man who was being held in the Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault, according to a Herald report.

“What was taken can never be made good again”: Boy’s father speaks out

Prosecutors and the boy’s father then asked the court to set the man’s bail at $1 million. The Herald published an audio recording of the boy’s father explaining his reasons for the high bail in court.

“The victim was my son and what was taken from him can never be undone,” the child’s father said. “Bellingham was a very safe place for us. Whether he’s part of Bellingham or not is irrelevant for the future. We need to know that things like this are taken seriously and that we are heard. As an African-American who is a law-abiding citizen and a great contributor to this community, we cannot tolerate this, sir. This has to cost at least a million.”

In the end, the court set the man’s bail at $500,000.

The Herald also reported that nearly 30 people gathered at the courthouse, including members of the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission, Jason McGill of Northwest Youth Services, Bellingham Unity Committee founder Teejay Morris and former Bellingham City Council member Kristina Michele Martens.

Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund and Bellingham Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig were also there.

In addition to attending the hearing, Lund and Mertzig also condemned hate and discrimination in a video they posted on the city’s Facebook page.

“Yesterday’s incident involving a child is unbearable,” Lund said in the video.

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Mertzig said police quickly arrested the suspect. She also said the department has pledged additional support to the boy’s family and Bellingham schools.

Lund also shared that the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission held its first meeting earlier this week. She said some have questioned the need for the commission, but this attack shows that more work is needed in the community.

“Acts of violence and intolerance are a painful reminder that we have work to do as a community and as a nation to prevent and respond to discrimination and hate crimes,” Lund said.

If you want and are able to report a hate crime, call 911.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X, formerly known as Twitter, Here and send her an email here.