Nationwide — Sheron Brown, an African American father from Massachusetts, was enjoying a Memorial Day fishing trip with his 10-year-old daughter when a white man hurled racial slurs and threw rocks at them. The man was later arrested and charged with assault. According to the Daily Mail, Sheron and his daughter, Azaylia, set out for a peaceful day at Lake Shirley in Lunenburg. After grabbing her favorite pepperoni pizza, they launched their boat in a quiet spot away from the crowds, hoping to spend quality time together on the water.
Their afternoon was disrupted when 66-year-old David McPartlan, standing on his shoreline property, began yelling at them. He demanded they leave, shouted racial slurs, and threw rocks near their boat. Sheron recorded the confrontation, capturing McPartlan’s threats and one rock landing just feet from where they floated.
Despite keeping a safe distance from the dock, Sheron and Azaylia were subjected to a 20-minute tirade. At one point, Azaylia asked her dad what they had done wrong. Sheron calmly told her they hadn’t done anything and called 911 as the situation escalated.
When Lunenburg police arrived, McPartlan admitted to throwing rocks but wouldn’t confirm the slurs. He was charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault to intimidate. His court date is set for June 16.
Sheron, an experienced fisherman, said he’s never faced this kind of harassment in over a decade on the water. Now, he’s focused on helping his daughter process what happened.
“Racism does exist,” he said. “My daughter witnessed it, where someone calls her father that word… I’m forced to explain things to her when I may not be ready. I’m forced to explain something to her, under duress, after I choke back how I feel, what I may want to do.”
He later posted on Facebook, “Ignorance is not bliss. I firmly believe it’s a choice. It’s still upsetting that we had to deal with this unfortunate incident. Ugh!”