Teen Names Family Who Harassed A Black Woman On Video

Many families have been torn apart by politics and social unrest in the Trump era. Here's one teen's story.

Courtesy of Helena Duke Helena Duke

Helena Duke, 18, thought it was odd when her mom shut off her location on a phone-tracking app that they share earlier this week. Her mom, Therese Duke, had told her vaguely that she was taking Helena’s aunt for a procedure. But Helena suspected that her Trump-supporting mom may have secretly traveled to Washington, DC, for the delusional last-ditch "Stop the Steal" rally. On Thursday morning, Helena's cousin had sent her a viral video of a physical encounter on the streets of DC filmed Tuesday, the night before the Capitol was raided. Watching the clip, Helena identified her mom, her aunt Annie Lorenz, and her uncle Richard Lorenz as part of a group of white people confronting a Black woman who had hit Therese in the face after she had tried to grab her. "My initial reaction was more like, Oh my gosh, I was right. I was actually right about them being there," Helena told BuzzFeed News. "It was very surreal because it was an insane video, first of all, and then it was the revelation that, Oh, that’s my mother. That’s her."

The Black woman in the video had tweeted that a group of five people were harassing her for a long time and had tried to take her belongings from her hands and her pockets. (She declined to comment on the incident to BuzzFeed News without legal representation. Helena's family members did not respond to emails and calls requesting comment.) Stunned to see her mom, Helena decided to tweet about the video and identified her family members as the people in it. "hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn't go to BLM protests bc they could get violent...this you?" she wrote.

for those that don’t believe it’s my mother... Twitter: @duke_helena

Hi this is the liberal lesbian of the family who has been kicked out multiple times for her views and for going to BLM protests to care what happens to me so: Mom: Therese Duke Uncle: Richard Lorenz Aunt: Annie Lorenz Twitter: @duke_helena

Helena's viral tweets have hit a nerve with many other Americans who have become distanced from loved ones in the Trump era due to them changing politics or becoming caught up in the QAnon mass delusion. "Before President Trump was elected, she was a Democrat for the majority of her life," Helena said. "And then, I don't know what happened. Something switched in her brain, and she went through a very dramatic change to very far right." She said she's received a lot of direct messages from people sharing similar experiences. "I think it kind of makes me feel better knowing other people have gone through the same thing," she said. "I obviously feel very sad that they have to go through it, too, but that I'm not alone, and that they’re not alone." The unrest and violence at the Capitol on Wednesday has driven a deeper wedge into already strained relationships between Trump supporters and those around them. Many have spoken out about arguing with loved ones who blame antifa for the violence (the FBI has said there is no evidence that anti-fascist activists played any role). People who had family members at the Capitol have talked about their anger and disappointment. Robyn Sweet, a woman whose dad stormed the Capitol with a mob and was arrested, told BuzzFeed News previously, "I am completely ashamed and disgusted of him."