HOUSTON – Hundreds of strangers have pitched in to throw a 3-year-old girl a new birthday party, days after cellphone video recorded two neighbors ruining the first one.
“I’m very thankful,” said Soany Barella, mother of Angely, 3, who’s birthday party was cut short Oct. 3 by a disagreement with a neighbor that escalated.
“She started breaking the tables the chairs and everything,” Barella said, describing the confrontation, which was posted to social media and shared thousands of times.
The incident occurred at Urban Palms Apartment Complex, located at the 8700 block of Town Park Drive in southwest Houston.
Barella said she set up tables and chairs she’d rented for the party earlier in the afternoon, but didn’t hear from her neighbor until after the party began later that evening. Barella said the neighbor complained of loud music, which she turned down.
The tables were assembled along a path that leads to both apartments, but Barella insisted that her neighbors didn’t complain until after the party had begun.
“The girl, she came at me and she was telling me to move the tables because she said they were close to her apartment and she did not want the tables close to her house,” Barella said.
Video shows the neighbor asking if Barella would remove the tables, while relatives were eating the birthday cake. The video then shows the neighbor flipping the table.
Barella said the confrontation occurred in front of children, including the birthday girl, Angely.
“She was really scared. She came outside, then inside and she was telling me that she was scared about it and I told her, ‘It’s OK mami, it’s OK. Nothing is going to happen,’” Barella said.
Barella, who is also pregnant, said one of the tables hit her in the stomach. She said she requested a transfer from the property manager and should receive one by the end of the week.
Meantime, a GoFundMe page has raised over $5,000 to help give Angely another party, which will take place Oct. 10. The family said the community came together to plan a socially distanced parade.
It will be held at 12 p.m. at 808 N York Street.