NAACP blames Des Moines man's assault on 'invisible disease of racism'
A Des Moines man said Tuesday that he is grateful to be alive after two white men beat him and one yelled a racial slur at him over the weekend.
DarQuan Jones, 22, held a news conference with the NAACP Des Moines Branch to discuss the assault, which they call a hate crime.
According to his father, Daryl Jones, DarQuan suffered five broken bones in his face and a broken arm during the assault, which occurred early Saturday morning in the area of 52nd and South Union streets.
“This is not right,” Daryl Jones said. “To me, this is not right. My son … look how tall he is. Look how big he is. The way you did this to him is not right.”
“Why did it have to be this brutal?” DarQuan Jones said. “Why did it have to go this far where my life was almost taken?”
DarQuan Jones, who is very soft spoken, said he did not want to discuss the attack because he still feels traumatized.
“I am still hurt,” he said. “I just want to know why it happened to me. It just really breaks my heart because I am not the type of guy to get in trouble.”
The Des Moines Police said it continues to investigate the motive behind the attack.
According to police, Jones’ attack is a “serious assault” and discovering a motive will determine if it was a hate crime.
Kameron Middlebrooks, with the NAACP Des Moines Branch, said he believes the answer is obvious.
“The underlying issue is that invisible disease of racism,” Middlebrooks said.
Des Moines police said they are talking to witnesses and following up on leads to determine the motive behind the attack.
