An 11-year-old Kansas City girl was the victim of a brutal attack at the hands of a 12-year-old boy, according to Kansas City Fox affiliate, WDAF-TV.

Nevaeh Thomas was playing with friends near an apartment complex in Shawnee, Kansas on Friday (Aug. 28) night when the young boy began tormenting her with a slew of racial slurs. Rather than allow her self to be defeated, she retorted with the words, “My Black is beautiful,” unfortunately resulting in the horrific assault.

The young boy, whose race is not yet known, reportedly beat Thomas unconscious with a pole, causing injuries.

“She suffered from a concussion. She has stitches inside and outside of her cheek. She lost her tooth,” Thomas’ mother Brandi Stewart said. “Her feelings are more hurt because of the act of, the racial act. Not so much of the scaring.”

Community members are concerned about the safety of the area following the attack, which Stewart believes is racially motivated.

“Hate speech has become the norm. Violence has become the norm. It’s seeped into our children,” Empowerment Temple pastor Terry Bradshaw said.

Blair Murphy, the owner of a daycare center near the apartment complex, tried to make sense of Thomas’ attack. “That poor little girl didn’t do anything and now she is hospitalized and beaten for what? Because she’s Black?” she asked.

Serena Mabin, a longtime resident of the apartment complex, questioned the safety of her children in the neighborhood.

“It’s kind of concerning because I have children that are different races” she said. “My son is a Black boy and you never know what’s going to happen.”

Following the incident, family attorney LaRhonna Lassiter Saunder asked that people show compassion for Thomas. “How about showing a little empathy,” she said. “Regardless of the race of these kids, as a parent, if my child was injured in this manor, I’m not sure how I would handle this.”

According to Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe, the 12-year-old boy has been identified and will be charged with aggravated battery, a felony. It is also possible for additional charges to be filed in the case.