The former UMass Memorial Medical Health Care employee reported to be on the grounds of the US Capitol last Wednesday during the Trump-inspired violence was publicly identified along with two other family members by her “liberal lesbian” daughter. Helena Duke recognized her family members in a video shot the previous night of a violent incident outside DC’s Freedom Plaza. That video went viral along with so many others after the following day’s violence at the Capitol.
Reports boston.com:
Helena Duke identified her mother, her aunt Annie Lorenz, and her uncle Richard Lorenz in the clip as those included in a group of Trump supporters confronting a Black woman. The video shows Therese Duke appearing to grab at the woman, who responds by punching Duke. Another clip shared after the incident shows Duke with a bloodied face.
A LinkedIn profile for Therese Duke marks UMass Memorial Health Care as her employer, and Helena Duke also confirmed in Twitter replies that her mom worked for the medical center. [A Jan. 8 Boston Globe report found that Duke had stopped working there some time prior to last week’s violence at the Capitol.]
The Black woman, who identified herself as Ashanti and is now facing criminal charges, detailed the Tuesday incident on a GoFundMe page she created to help with legal fees: “A video has surfaced where I was surrounded by a group of Trump extremists, and I honestly feared for my life. The video makes me look like I am the aggressor, but it does not show what happened prior to my defending myself.”
The fundraiser, which was established a day ago with a goal of $75,000, has garnered $54,624 as of Sunday evening.
“People shoved me, tried to take my phone and keys, yelled racial epithets at me, and tried to remove my mask,” she said in her GoFundMe. “I asked them to social distance and stay out of my personal space due to COVID. They refused, and I was afraid of being hurt and harmed. After being assaulted, I defended myself.”
Stunned to see her mom playing a part in the interaction, the 18-year-old Helena Duke told BuzzFeed News she decided to make it known.
“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,” Duke tweeted on Thursday before naming her family members.
On Friday, UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester said it had launched an investigation to determine if one or more of its employees were involved in the insurrection.
“We have been made aware that one or more of our employees may have been involved in the violence that took place at our Nation’s Capitol,” the state’s third-largest health care provider said in a statement. “We strongly condemn such behavior, if true, and have initiated an investigation.”
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