Somali activist raised over $42,000 claiming she fell victim to a brick attack. Surveillance footage says otherwise.

Roda Osman, a 33-year-old Somali activist, claimed in a viral video in September that she had been viciously assaulted with a brick by a man whose advances she shot down. Osman claimed further that the assault went unanswered before a crowd of black men who all supposedly watched the incident unfold with total indifference.

On the basis of her claims of victimhood and trauma, Osman ended up raising over $42,000 on GoFundMe.

While the Washington Post's Karen Attiah, the Root's Candace McDuffie, and other leftists bought into Osman's claims hook, line, and sinker, many critics figured there was more to the story than the activist initially let on.

The skeptics appear to have been vindicated by surveillance footage revealing Osman's claims to be likely untrue. Osman has, in turn, been slapped with charges of felony theft by deception. She has yet to be located and arrested.

The incident, according to Osman

Osman posted a video to social media in September, which has since been reshared by the Shade Room and other accounts, wherein she claimed a man smashed her face with a brick in Houston, Texas, after she refused to give him her phone number.

Osman says in the video, "Yo, this man just hit me in my face with a brick and all these black men just watched and they don't give a f***."

The supposed victim berated men nearby, screaming, "Why don't you be a man?"

KPRC-TV reported that Houston police officers responded to the scene of an aggravated assault incident on Sept. 3 and met with Osman and her female friend. Officers indicated in their report that Osman was drunk and hostile during the encounter.

Osman, whose Instagram account is littered with anti-white racism and twerking videos, reportedly told police that she was walking on Schumacher Lane when a stranger whose advances she rejected threw a brick at her.

According to the charging document obtained by the Daily Beast, Osman specified that the suspect was an Uber driver whom she initially had summoned. Osman reportedly went so far as to suggest the Uber driver tried to kidnap her, was involved in human trafficking, and had a car full of women.

A profitable tale

The next day, a GoFundMe campaign with a $25,000 goal appeared called, "Help Roda Recover." Osman was listed as the beneficiary.

"Because of this vicious attack she will have to manage hospital bills, therapy, and time away from work, school and childcare while she heals mentally and physically. Unfortunately, no one stepped in to help her that night - it would mean so much if we could step up and help her as she heals," said the campaign, allegedly created by a friend of Osman named Kiara Davis.

Thousands of donations quickly began pouring in. As of Oct. 25, 2023, the campaign had raised over $42,300.

In addition to sympathetic donors, various leftists and liberal publications took Osman at her word.

The Root, among them, reported Osman "could have been killed — her injuries are unbelievably horrific — and the moment that she needed to be safeguarded the most is when she was left to fend for herself."

Not everyone bought the story, however.

Some critics dredged up various social media posts and videos Oman had previously shared, which they believed undermined her credibility — including a video where she appears to slap a stranger in the face, then proceed to dance provocatively.

Additionally, the Harris County District Attorney's Office indicated she might have previously perpetrated another assault hoax in Minneapolis for which she fundraised nearly $5,000 on GoFundMe.

In the face of mounting skepticism, Osman told NBC News, "First they're like, where's the police report?' You don't have a police report.' I show the police report. Then they're like, 'Oh, it's a fake police report.'"

"Then they're like 'Show us the hospital records. You don't have hospital records.' I show them the hospital records. 'It's fake hospital records,'" continued Osman. "The goal posts will never be met."

Uju Anya, an associate professor of second language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University, suggested that Osman's critics were "Black men literally using white supremacist tactics to discredit and dehumanize a Black woman."

Footage and charges

When detectives finally got in touch with Osman on Sept. 19, she reportedly stuck to the broad outlines of her initial narrative, alleging she got into a car she had mistaken for an Uber and was assaulted by a man named Olan Douglas.

Over the course of the interview, Osman made changes to her story, including the location where the supposed assault occurred. When her narrative began to crumble, KPRC reported Osman became upset, demanded to speak to the detective's supervisor, then hung up.

Houston detectives ultimately got their hands on surveillance footage in the area where the assault supposedly occurred.

Detectives indicated they observed Osman, her friend, and Olan Douglas chatting and walking toward TikTalk Garden Lounge, then go into the club together in the footage. After 20 minutes, they reportedly emerged from the club, then traipsed toward a white Maserati parked nearby.

Surveillance footage allegedly shows Osman dance on her supposed attacker while her friend was in the front of the vehicle with another man. After Osman concluded her dance, surveillance footage reportedly showed the remainder of the foursome get into the Maserati, with Douglas and Osman in the back seat.

The charging document indicates that minutes later, Douglas, Osman, and her friend exited the vehicle, at which time Douglas and Osman allegedly got into a spat.

A detective told NBC News that Osman can be seen slapping the man whom she had danced on. In response, he allegedly smacked Osman with a hand gripping a plastic water bottle. Douglas then reportedly departed in an Audi A3 that had pulled up, while Osman seated herself in the front passenger seat of the Maserati.

Keith Houston of the Harris County District Attorney's Office told KPRC the water bottle is likely "what left the mark on her, on her face. But it was mutual combat."

While KPRC indicated Osman has yet to respond to an request for comment, she noted in an Instagram story Wednesday, "I actually have things going on in my life. I actually have real ways to make money. I don't have to get a GoFundMe for money. I actually can earn income because I'm actually educated and I actually am talented."

Osman is wanted for theft in Harris County.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!