See also Arrests Made in Lighter Fluid-Fueled Firebombing of Madison Jail

From NBC15.com:

Madison hate crime victim thanks supporters in new family statement

… The statement Wednesday morning from Althea Bernstein’s family comes after an attack on the 18-year-old last week. Investigators say she was stopped at a red light downtown, when she reportedly heard someone yell a racial epithet and turned to see four white men next to her. According to Bernstein, one of them used a spray bottle to shoot liquid at her and then someone threw a flaming lighter at her, setting the fluid on fire.

“We appreciate the overwhelming outpouring of support that Althea is receiving from friends, family, neighbors, and others from near and far. As you can imagine, this has been a traumatic experience physically, mentally, and emotionally for Althea. Our family is still asking for privacy at this time so that Althea may focus on healing. We ask for your continued prayers and positive thoughts not only for Althea’s healing, but for the healing of the collective wounds of our society whose history of ongoing racial inequity has come to the forefront in recent years. Althea wants you to know that she sends her love and appreciation to each of you. With the support of Michael Johnson, our family has assembled a team of professionals that will provide medical, spiritual, and community support to Althea. Thank you all for your concern for our beloved daughter.”

Bernstein Family

So, the parents want everybody to feel mildly sorry for their daughter over this extremely boring event that is way too tedious to think about, much less ask questions about whether it ever really happened.

Let’s not worry about details, such as a roving gang of white racist “classic Wisconsin frat boys” who are still on the loose, probably getting ready to set more biracial girls on fire. Nor, heaven forbid, is it about finding out what really happened and then seeing justice is done in what might be a hideous blood libel.

No, this story is all about how Althea feels. Just think about Althea’s feels and not about boring factual matters like the arrest on Wednesday of Marquon Clark for his lighter-fluid fueled attempt to burn down the county jail at almost exactly the same time and place that Althea was attacked with lighter fluid by 4 white boys. That is, when you stop and think about it, extremely dull. In fact, you are getting sleepy, very sleepy, very, very sleepy. When I count to ten, you will fall into a restful slumber and when you awake, you will have forgotten all about this. One two three four fi-…