There have been several reports and videos of Black men and women doing ordinary activities, whether it is bird watching, painting on their own property or walking from the store, only to have someone call the cops on them and report them as suspicious.
In a few videos, white women cry, scream and claim they are being attacked in an effort to get the 911 call escalated so the police arrive to rescue them despite not being in any danger. They are simply annoyed at being called out on their entitled behavior and responding in a way that could create a potentially deadly situation for the black target of their passive-aggressive response.
Social media is referring them to as “Karen”.
It sounds like a cute, petty way of referring to something that is actually very dangerous.
We are in the midst of protests for the safety of black people from police brutality that can end up with the loss of a life. There is no way to know what the result of an interaction between a black person and police.
This woman who is screaming into the phone is knowingly creating a fake emergency for the police to respond to. Instead of dealing with her own discomfort or guilty behavior, she sends in men with guns to defend her honor. And, she knows on some level that the police could potentially take a life because she has made it seem as if she is being attacked by a predator.
You can even see some sneer in satisfaction as they dial 911 believing that they are wielding their power over a black person.
“Weaponized” means to use something as a weapon.
In this case, white privilege as well as an awareness of the danger to black people is used to create what could be attempted murder.
If you don’t believe it, there is a classification called, “Suicide by cop”. It is where a suicidal person acts in a threatening matter towards police in an effort to have the cop react in a deadly matter.
If someone has the awareness that they can end their live by being a threat to police, then people who weaponized police against black people are aware that they could create a situation that ends in death.
If it doesn’t and the person is arrested, they have still created a situation where a black person is more likely to be convicted or end up with life-altering consequences.
With gentrification, more and more white people are moving into formerly all-black neighborhoods. While some may think they are acting as neighborhood watch, what they are really doing is putting the original inhabitants of the neighborhood in danger.
Not only are they wasting police resources, but they are exhibiting racist attitudes towards black people being able to have a bar-b-que, sell lemonade, nap in a dorm or just live their life while not bothering anyone.
Can you imagine a world where someone thinks you should go to jail for minding your business or holding them accountable for not putting their dog on a leash in a park?
Black people can.
Black men have a history of being falsely accused by white men and women. Those accusations often resulted in a mob tracking them down and lynching them. It’s always been dangerous for black people to be accused of crimes they didn’t commit and the savagery of the response.
Emmett Till was a 14 year-old in Mississippi who was savagely beaten, shot and thrown in a river after being accused of whistling at a White woman. The woman later admitted she lied.
In my opinion, I think if someone calls the police needlessly in an attempt to get a black person falsely arrested, they should pay a fine equal to the cost of the man hours. If they report a fake threat, then I think they should be arrested.
Until reform can come, I hope people will keep taping this behavior until others understand that what they are doing could take a life.
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