Press Release: 9/15/2026

CAIR-MA Condemns Racist, Hate-Fueled Attack on Black Man at Kingston Cumberland Farms

 

The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA), a chapter of the Nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned an alleged racist attack on a Black man at a Cumberland Farms gas station in Kingston, Massachusetts, and welcomed hate crime charges brought against the alleged perpetrator.

According to law enforcement authorities, the victim was at the fuel pumps when suspect Gary Phillipo II, 46, of Carver, began shouting unprovoked racial slurs. Phillipo then allegedly charged, kicked, and repeatedly struck the victim, knocking him to the ground and leaving him with severe injuries, including a suspected compound fracture. Surveillance footage and witness statements corroborated the victim’s account, and police reported that Phillipo continued to shout anti-Black racial slurs in front of officers and hospital staff following his arrest.

In a statement, CAIR-MA Executive Director Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Esq., said:

“We strongly condemn this alleged racist attack. No one should ever have to fear for their safety or be subjected to brutal violence simply while going about their daily routine. The vicious anti-Black racism displayed in this attack is a disturbing reminder of the hate that marginalized communities continue to face.”

“We thank the Kingston Police Department for pursuing hate crime charges, and we demand that justice be served to the fullest extent of the law to send a clear message that hate-fueled violence will never be tolerated in Massachusetts.”  

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CONTACT: Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Esq., CAIR-MA Executive Director, (617) 862-9159, tamatul-wadud@cair.com