Two white men apparently couldn’t contain their implicit racial bias when they called the police in separate instances to report Black people living their very legal lives in videos that went viral over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
Both instances were recorded on video in a throwback to the so-called BBQ Becky, a white woman who called cops on a Black family having a cookout in a public park last year. They were also a clear indication that the irrational fears that have overcome so many white people in the presence of Black people have shown no sign of letting up despite widespread coverage.
In the first instance, a white man who was identified as a developer at YouTube called the police on a Black man who was apparently waiting outside of an apartment building — in public — for his friend to come downstairs. The white man, who is reportedly a resident of the building, felt so threatened that he called the police. The equally shameful and shameless display of irrational fear was recorded on video as the man’s young son, near tears, begged his father not to call the police.
https://twitter.com/sahluwal/status/1147694350513520640
The situation was reminiscent of many other instances of racial profiling, such as when 19 police officers showed up at a Black woman’s California home last year because her white neighbor told cops she broke in.
In another instance, a white woman who worked at a sporting goods store reportedly followed a Black family for two blocks accusing them of stealing a miniature basketball. She, of course, called the cops, who stopped the family and forced them to turn over a receipt confirming purchase even though that information could have been confirmed via security footage in the store.
The white woman was adamant the Black family stole the ball, and cops seemed to believe it, as well — until the receipt proved otherwise. The police snapped at the family to “relax” when the family was vindicated of the bogus claims. The white woman who accused them could be seen walking off in shame without apologizing for her racially motivated call to police.
https://twitter.com/helenkaren94/status/1147997693706301440
It’s seemingly all but second nature for many white people to call police on Black people, knowing that cops tend to view Black folks as suspects instead of innocent. That’s why calling the police is the go-to move for so many white folks, even if they know they’re in the wrong.
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