CLEVELAND, Texas (Fox) — Racial divisions have surfaced in the town of Cleveland, 40 miles north of Houston, ever since last Thanksgiving’s alleged gang rape of an 11-year old Hispanic girl.

Most of the 17 suspects accused of sexually assaulting the preteen girl are black. And on Thursday night, community activist Quanell X hosted a rally there.

With some of the defendants’ parents standing next to him on stage, the activist took up a collection for their legal expenses from the largely African-American crowd.

While a few of those accused have admitted their guilt, he says others are probably innocent.

“She lives in another community,” Quanell X told the gathering. “You mean to tell me the only men that had sex with that girl were black men, locked up in that jail?”

The activist cast blame on the parents of the alleged victim, whom some describe as a willing participant in the sexual activity, at least initially.

He also took to task the elders in Cleveland’s black community for failing to guide the younger generation