Mateus Romualdo, a young boy from North Carolina, was walking home from Viewmont Elementary School when he experienced the unthinkable.
A car full of cruel teenagers drove by and spotted Mateus on his route home, walking all by himself. They caught one glimpse of the child and began yelling racial slurs at him.
Mateus was so terrified by the repeated verbal assault that he thought the bullies were going to shoot him.
He called his mom Heather as soon as he got home to tell her what happened. Worried and horrified, Heather shared her sonâs story on Facebook.
It didnât take long for Heatherâs post to go viral in her community. It reached Mateusâ youth basketball coach, Troy Harlan.
âI know that when I read the post that his mom wrote about him being scared, Iâve gone through all that,â Troy told KSTU. âI know what it feels like to be one of only two black kids at my school.â
Thatâs when Troy put a plan into action to ensure Mateus wouldnât have to walk home from school so frightened.
Watch the video below to see the stunning show of solidarity that followed, and please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook.
Footage provided by KSTU Salt Lake City