Trigger Warning: This article mentions instances of racism and violence.
A Michigan man has been arrested on multiple felony charges, including a hate crime, after allegedly assaulting his Black neighbors while shouting racial slurs and acting violently, according to witnesses. Martin Sitto, 43, was arrested in Hazel Park, a suburb near Detroit, and faces several charges: hate crime using force (a five-year felony), assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer, assault and battery, and trespassing.
Martin Sitto was involved in a scene that occurred on June 29, 2025, when police responded twice to reports of Sitto’s aggressive conduct. When officers first arrived, they saw Sitto trespassing on a neighbor’s property and yelling. He was warned to stay away, but later that night, police were called again. Sitto was fighting with his neighbors, shouting racial slurs, and also attacked a woman as she fought back and throwing tree branches at her.
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As per Atlanta Black Star, the neighbors of Hazel Park in Michigan complained that this incident isn’t the first time Martin Sitto has been caught in racial violence. Earlier, he also frequently shouted racist and homophobic slurs, threatened people, and once said he would “slit people’s throats.” She also witnessed the June 29 attack and described how Sitto spat on his victims, punched them, and ran around shouting that the “white race is ending.”
It’s not that Sitto did not know what he was doing was wrong, because he reportedly asked a white neighbor to lie to the police on his behalf. “He asked me to tell the police that they assaulted him,” she said. “I think he assumed because I’m white, I’d take his side. But I knew what I saw. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it.”
The neighbor attempted to help the victims during the attack as she offered to wipe spit off their faces and said,. “I felt he could cause real harm,” she said. “Better I get hurt trying to stop him than let him keep hurting people because of their skin color.”
However, Martin Sitto continued to remain aggressive and high on adrenaline even after the cops arrived. He did not stop making threats against residents, police, and officials in nearby cities like Royal Oak and Troy. He was eventually subdued and taken into custody.
“He was completely unhinged,” a neighbor said. “He didn’t stop — not even in handcuffs.” Meanwhile, people from the Hazel Park community think that Martin Sitto is a complete menace to society, with no emotional control, frequent anger outbursts, and a person who’s highly capable of physical harm.
‘Completely Unhinged’: White Man Reportedly Punched and Spat on Black Neighbors While Yelling ‘White Race Is Ending,’ Then Asked White Resident to Lie to Police for Him https://t.co/Mp24EhafFA
— Online Listing (@onlinelisting) July 28, 2025
Authorities say Sitto has a known history of mental health issues and substance abuse. Court records show previous charges including domestic violence, assault with a dangerous weapon, and felonious assault. The convicted felon is scheduled to appear for a probable cause hearing at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Meanwhile, anyone with additional information about this case is asked to call Hazel Park police at 248-542-6161.
In 2021, 55% of Americans cited discrimination as the primary reason black Americans tend to have worse jobs, income, and housing than White Americans, per the GSS.
That figure dropped to 45% in 2024, according to survey results released Thursday. pic.twitter.com/mn2B75DHvn
— @gen0m1cs 🧬📊 (@gen0m1cs) May 25, 2025
According to a peer-reviewed study, a research paper titled “Discrimination in the United States: Experiences of Black Americans”, published in the Health Services Research portal, about 51% black adults have heard racial slurs after living in the country, and 60% reported being unfairly stopped or mistreated by police. Racial and gender discrimination has been a prevalent issue in America, and the fight against it continues till today.
