Once again, a racist is barely punished despite video evidence of guilt.
Susan Westwood, 52, rose to viral infamy after a video surfaced of her going on a drunken racist rant aimed at two Black women who were waiting near their car for AAA assistance at an apartment complex in North Carolina. Following the intense backlash from the video in October, during which she threatened to get a gun, local police in Charlotte issued a warrant for her arrest, but she could not be located until she turned herself in almost one month later. And, in a predictable turn of events, Westwood managed to avoid prison time for something that Black defendant are routinely incarcerated for.
Westwood was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation after pleading guilty to the charges of misuse of the 911 system and two counts of simple assault. According to the Associated Press, a judge also ordered her to pay court costs and to continue to participate in “community support” meetings along with any recommended alcohol programs.
Of course, if Westwood was a Black woman, it would most likely be a whole different story ending with her being arrested the night of the incident. Chances are if she were Black, she definitely would not have gotten a slap on the wrist, either, when it came to sentencing.
In the video that helped bring about the hashtag #SouthParkSusan, Westwood approached two Black sisters and instantly assumed they did not live in the complex. Westwood went on to ask why the women were “congregating” in the parking lot. One of the women was a tenant at the apartment building, which Westwood apparently doubted that a Black person could afford. She bragged about earning $125,000 a year, adding that she’s “white” and “hot.”
After the two women walk away, Westwood screams, “Do I need to bring out my concealed weapon, too? This is North Carolina by the way.”
Westwood would go on to be fired from her job at the telephone and cable company Spectrum, who released a statement after they watched the video:
“The incident recorded in Charlotte is a blatant violation of Charter’s code of conduct and clearly disregards the company’s commitment to inclusion and respectful behavior,” a statement from Spectrum said.
Prior to Westwood’s light sentence, on Tuesday a white woman in Starkville, Mississippi, who was caught on video holding a pistol in a threatening manner toward a Black couple that was trying to picnic, was only arrested after turning herself into police over a week after the incident occurred. Ruby Howell was charged with the single misdemeanor of threatening exhibition of a weapon and was released after posting a bond of $500. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Howell, too, gets a similar slap on the wrist for a gun-involved crime against Black people.
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