A Black woman and digital creator was attacked over the weekend. Roda Bashe shared on social media that she had been assaulted and hit in the face with a brick after declining to give her number to a man.
@rhoreports ASSULTED BY A MAN WITH A BRICK ‼️‼️ HOUSTON TEXAS . PLEASE HELP SPREAD AWEARNESS !! #assulted #brick #manwithbrick #houstontx #texas #safety #womensafety #protectblackwomen ♬ original sound – Rho_reportss
“ASSULTED BY A MAN WITH A BRICK ‼️‼️ HOUSTON TEXAS. PLEASE HELP SPREAD AWEARNESS !!,” Bashe captioned her first video, a repost on a new TikTok account since her original account has been banned. Skeptics who didn’t buy her story are now digging through her other content to justify her assault.
In a series of videos, Bashe said the incident took place at an unknown event in Houston, Texas. While in the parking lot, she said, an unidentified man asked for her number, and she refused. Reportedly, the two then had some back-and-forth exchanges with others nearby watching. The same man allegedly took a brick and hit Bashe in her face. He was not arrested and fled in a car soon after.
“I never did anything in my life to hurt anybody,” she said in one of the videos about the incident.
Social media debate
Bashe’s story went viral online, with many chiming in on social media about the ordeal. Then the discourse became cursed as people began debating whether or not she “deserved” to be hit with a brick.
Bystander speaks out
Since the incident, a man who claims to have been a bystander has come forth to explain why he and others didn’t intervene. “I was one of the guys who was there and did not help her when she was getting hit with the brick. I feel like people need to know the whole story before they start commenting and saying things they don’t understand or they don’t know,” the witness said. He went on to question, “Why would I go defend someone that’s actually looking for trouble?”
The bystander’s video was re-uploaded by @voiceofourancestorch on TikTok, and viewed more than 1.8 million times.
@voiceofourancestorch I don’t condone violence against women on my page. Wishing her a speedy recovery #houston #Houstonwomanhitwithbricks #BlackWoman #Nigerians #somaliwoman #Blackmen #saynotoviolence #violenceagainstwomenandgirls ♬ original sound – Voice Of Our Ancestor Ch
After the incident, Roda Bashe received medical care at a nearby hospital where she stayed for several hours and was finally discharged with a concussion. A GoFundMe was created for Bashe by friend Kiara Davis, and it has raised $37,000 and counting for medical expenses.
