By ifmuth Downtown Akron

Imagine if you will, hanging out with your friends on a front lawn, chatting about what a nice night you had just had, how great the fireworks were, and maybe what your plans were for the 4th of July weekend. All of a sudden, a teen comes up and blindsides and assaults one of your friends, a melee ensues, with a group of teens numbering up to perhaps 50, swarming you, your family and friends. Punches were thrown. Kicks were delivered. A general beat down was happening, and all the while, the teens were yelling "This is our world." "This is a white world." What do you think would happen then? Would there be a hue and cry all across the land? Would the ACLU, Reverend Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Clinton, et al, be screaming at the top of their lungs about hate crimes, race riots, etc. etc.? Well, that was not the case because the group of teen shouting the epithets did not use the word "white"; they actually said "This is a black world." The family and friends were white, and the so-called mob were black. Ohio.com is reporting that Akron police are not ready to yet call what happened that night a hate crime and they also say that the departments gang unit is involved in the case. Marty Marshall, 39, said:

This was almost like being a terrorist act. And we allow this to go on in our neighborhoods?

Marshall told reporters that after his friend was attacked, he came to his defense and was knocked to the ground and his 90-pound daughter jumped into the fray to protect her father. She was also knocked to the ground. Marshall's wife pushed their younger son into the bushes to protect him from the crowd while Marshall was punched and kicked on the ground. Marshall is a construction worker who says he now fears for his family's safety and he is hoping that the police can bring in some suspects because they believe they can identify some of their attackers.