On Wednesday June 24, a bi-racial woman in Madison, Wisconsin reportedly suffered third-degree burns afterĀ four white men threw lighter fluidĀ and a lighter at her face while she was in her car. Speaking withĀ Madison 365, 18-year-old EMT #AltheaBernstein said the assailants yelled a racial slur at her before the attack. āI was listening to some music at a stoplight and then all of a sudden I heard someone yell the N-word really loud,ā she told the outlet. āI turned my head to look and somebodyās throwing lighter fluid on me. And then they threw a lighter at me, and my neck caught on fire and I tried to put it out, but I brushed it up onto my face. I got it out and then I just blasted through the red light... I just felt like I needed to get away. So I drove through the red light and just kept driving until I got to my brotherās [home].ā According to the outlet, Bernsteinās mother drove her to the hospital later that day, where the hospital staff identified the liquid on her face and neck as lighter fluid.Ā A police incident report saysĀ the men used a spray bottle to spray the lighter fluid onto Bernsteinās face. "At first I didnāt even believe what had happened,ā she said. āI grew up in Madison, on the East side, and my dad would take me to the Farmerās Market every weekend, on those same streets. It just felt so weird to have these really happy memories there, and then now to have this memory that sort of ruined all of the childhood memories. I never really knewĀ someone could hate you just by looking at you.Ā They didnāt know me. I didnāt know them. I was just driving my car and minding my own business.ā According to theĀ Wisconsin State Journal, police areĀ investigating the incident as a potential hate crime. Bernstein will reportedly need continued medical treatment for her burns. Rather than financial support, she asked that people āsign the petitions.Ā Support the movement. Support Black lives.ā Police are urging anyone with information about the attack or Bernsteinās assailants to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608) 266-6014 or atĀ P3Tips.com. VIA: #REVOLTV #racism #madisonwi #hatecrime #unheardvoicesmag #blacklivesmatter (at Madison, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CB6OU9_FhTX/?igshid=e18leb4vbjnk








