How God Got Me Through a Street Mob Attack
A Virginia Mom's Story of Faith in the Midst of Fear
Come hear this brave mom speak in person at the "Take Back Virginia" rally on Oct. 3!
One of the most defining moments of 2020 was the 911-call recording that went viral of a terrified mom and her 12-year-old daughter frantically calling for help as mob protesters climbed on their car. It’s heartrending to hear the mother break down in tears as the call operator repeatedly explains the event is “sanctioned” so they can't do anything.
Tara Durant— the Fredericksburg, Virginia, mom who made that call—took a moment to share with The Family Foundation the inside story of how God sustained her family not only at that moment, but in the aftermath. Tara said she’ll never forget that June day: “We had gone out for paint samples—we were redoing her [12-year-old daughter’s] playroom into a sort of girls’ lounge area for a pre-teenager. … It was a beautiful Saturday evening,” so they drove through the quaint, outside-dining area in downtown Fredericksburg. “I like to see everyone eating out, what’s being built … It’s one of the my small joys in life,” she explained. But what began as a sweet, mother-daughter moment quickly turned into instant terror. How’s how their faith got them through it:
1. Understanding what it means to be a child of God. People have commented that, though you can hear the fear in her voice, Tara exhibited grace under fire—with absolutely no foul language! She laughs at that and credits it entirely to God’s divine preparation: A few days before, her family heard their priest give a homily about the role suffering plays in believers’ lives. In that moment, she felt God speaking to her about a soon-to-come time of suffering—and began to ponder what it means to live as “children of light,” holding fast to truth in the midst of darkness. Tara believes that’s one reason why—when it would have been easy to panic and plow the car through protesters to protect her child—she could calm herself instead, remembering that God saw each young protester as “someone else’s child” too.
2. Embracing forgiveness. in the months afterward, Tara has walked through the journey of counseling together with her daughter. “They scared us. They made her feel like we were about to die (fearing the protesters could have guns or break into the car). We’ve got to remember what we were called to be—forgiveness is what we are” walking through right now, she shared.
3. Trusting God with the outcome. Her family soon had new opportunities to practice forgiveness: Afterward, Tara found it necessary to defend her family against unfounded, one-sided reports in the media—as well as harassment and threats on social media. Then there was the three-hour court hearing that resulted in all charges (of traffic obstruction) being dismissed against the protesters. Tara and her daughter once again had to face angry protesters outside the courthouse, she said, who were “taunting with my daughter’s name.” Plus, those who jumped on the car have not yet been identified—despite the fact she and her daughter witnessed plenty of people videoing the whole episode. “It feels like justice has not been served,” but even though “we didn’t get the outcome we wanted,” Tara said, her family is learning to be “be faithful and trusting [in God] when hurting.”
'There is a face to this—and it's hers.'
Meanwhile, Tara just wants people to understand the urgency of maintaining law and order in the fight for justice. Without that balance, we sow “ugly seeds of new forms of hate, new forms of racism, new forms of division,” she said. “We need to remember as a society, there is a harsh reality of how this is affecting our children. … there is a face to this, and it’s her face. We must demand that we maintain safety in our streets.”
Don't forget: Register today for the "Take Back Virginia" rally on Oct. 3 to hear Tara and many other fantastic speakers!
