In another case of White People Calling The Police On Minorities for Existing, Karen-I-Put-Raisins-In-My-Potato-Salad Jones (I do not know her name but for the sake of this blog let’s call the nosy woman, Karen.) decided that while on a college tour of Colorado State University, she was going to call the police on two Native American teens that made the 7-hour trip to visit the college from New Mexico in the hopes of attending the university one day. Because Karen I’m-Afriad-Of -Anyone-That-Is-Not-White Jones was in grave danger touring the campus with her husband and children, she called 911 and essentially told the police, the Native American teens were decked out in black clothing, really stood out, had their hands in their pockets, liars, and refused to answer her questions about why they were on the college tour. You know because People of Color are OBLIGATED to answer any questions that White people ask them about their personal business.
You would think the Colorado Police are so busy solving crimes they would have told Karen-I-Do-Not-Season-My-Chicken Jones that they were swamped with REAL crimes and she needs to calm down. But oh no, if Karen-Don’t-Make-Me-Call-The-Manager Jones calls the police about Native American teens on a college tour they will send out helicopters, armored trucks, and eight squad cars. Okay, I am exaggerating, but two officers did show up to speak to the teens on the tour and “once they were satisfied” the teens were actually on a college tour to, oh I don’t know, tour the college, they allowed them to return to the group. And Karen-MAGA-Jones went home that night feeling that she served her country well by calling the police on two teens forever altering how they will see the world. While Karen-I-Need-To-Get-A-Life-Jones sleeps at night, who give those teens back their sense of normalcy? That is what people like Karen do not understand, and more than likely does not even care about.
Audio link of Karen’s 911 Call
When I spoke about this issue on Twitter, people tried to justify this woman calling the police because you know when it comes to defending bullshit that train is never late.
Video Footage of People Running To Twitter to Justify Calling 911 on People of Color.
If there was a policy to check-in (and no school official said it was), wouldn’t the TOUR GUIDE ask for the information? What gives Karen the right to ask for ANY INFORMATION? Who is she? Why is a White person magically the authority? And then to mention school/campus shootings? Really? This woman feels threatened by two Native American teens on a college campus in the very same state that two clean-cut White males, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris murdered 13 people and wounded 24 others at Columbine High School. If anyone should be worried about potential students committing a mass shooting and we look at the makeup of past campus/school shooters, it is not the Native American teens that should be questioned but in fact, Karen’s children that were on the tour should be questioned.
If you believe this is an isolated incident, do not be deceived. This happens daily and in fact occurred the same week to former White House staffer, Darren Martin. Martin, a Black man, was moving into his apartment when a White woman called the police on him stating that someone was trying to break in the door with a weapon. Because the New York police are not busy, they sent SIX police officers to investigate this reverse robbery in progress. Thankfully, Martin was able to walk away from the situation still breathing.
What is it with White people that make them feel it is their job to police the world? From coffee to plasticware, to moving into an apartment, People of Color are subjected to the whims of a White person feeling “in fear of their lives” and calling the police. The irony of this is it is not the caller that is in fear of losing their lives, but it is the person they are calling the police on that can be murdered by their frivolous calls. When John Crawford was shopping in Walmart, he picked up a BB/pellet air rifle, presumably to purchase and continued shopping. A customer, Ronald Ritchie called 911 and lied to officers telling them Crawford appeared to be loading the gun and that he was pointing the gun at children. Two officers arrived at the Walmart and shot and killed Crawford while he was on the phone speaking to his pregnant girlfriend. A second person, Angela Williams died after suffering a heart attack while fleeing from the shooting. Video footage of Crawford in Walmart showed that Ritchie’s claims were not true. These “I-Am-Afraid-Of-Black-People calls to 911 have deadly consequences for Black people.
White people I know this may be difficult to comprehend but People of Color live very common lives. We work, we go to school, we eat, we drink coffee, we go to movies, we jog, we drive. We are very ordinary people, and I know when you see People of Color sipping a mocha frappuccino you believe we have sprouted heads like the hydra but believe me, we drink coffee. Sometimes we even take it with cream and sugar. And if we are REALLY feeling risque, we might ask for extra whip cream on our latte. I know, it’s mindblowing!
You can relax! The next time you see a Person of Color doing something like oh I don’t know, breathing, here is a suggestion, MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS! You do NOT need to ask People of Color what they are doing and why they are doing it? I remember when I moved into my neighborhood and attended my first neighborhood association meeting someone asked me did I live in the neighborhood? Do I live in the neighborhood? I wanted to say, “No, I just randomly go around and attend neighborhood association meetings throughout the city.” Of course, I live in the neighborhood! DUH!
I understand if someone is legitimately committing a crime or there is an actual threat of REAL danger and you want to call the police but calls to the police because you are afraid of people that do not look like you is not one of them. There is time and a place to speak up, to voice concern, to step in. I wonder why I rarely if ever hear of a White person calling the police when they see the police assaulting a Black person? How many White people said anything when Chikesia Clemons’s was assaulted in Waffle House? How many White people took the time to call the Waffle House central office and express their concerns? How many White people stand up and use their voice when they hear a Black person being verbally assaulted? How many White people are making phone calls about police brutality? How many White people contacted the Sacremento Police Department when Stephon Clark was murdered by the police in his grandmother’s backyard? How many White people make a call when they see a Black student being abused by a White school teacher? How many White people could have stepped in and made a call when Black children were being abused by Jennifer Jean Hart and Sarah Margaret Hart. Perhaps persistent phone calls to the authorities could have saved the children’s lives. The list is ENDLESS of times when White people can stand up and use their voices for justice.
Your racism masked as fear is never a good reason to call the police. Ask yourself, “If a White person was doing this, would I be calling the authorities?” If the answer is no, LEAVE PEOPLE OF COLOR ALONE!
The next time you want to call the police on a Black person, do us all a favor, and mind your own damn business. It cost you NOTHING to do that but calling the police because of your racism can cost us our lives.
John Crawford, 22 years old, murdered by police after someone not minding their own business called 911.
Categories: Current Events, Race Relations
Your sarcasm in this post is everything lmaooo. But seriously, these people are getting way out of control in ways I couldn’t imagine. A damn college tour?? I can’t even.
Thank you so much! I had to try to find some humor in it all. Its too much!!
Hell yeah! This post should be required reading for all white people. White people who call and weaponize the police against PoC should be punished but that’s never gonna happen because police don’t even get punished for killing PoC. My blood was boiling listening to that call.
It is obviously completely morally repugnant that someone should call the police for no reason other than their own ignorance and prejudice. The mother who placed that call absolutely has to be condemned for what she did. Absolutely. And it boils my piss that people are even attempting to defend her. Zero justification. However, this case exposes systemic failings in that institution and we are back to the fact bystander syndrome or silence or impotence or privilege or – more likely – a combination of those things contributed to this awful episode. Why did the tour guide not step in to see what the fuss was about? Because he or she chose not to challenge a white woman but instead allowed her to persecute two indigenous young men? What about other people on the tour? None of them sought to challenge this woman, or support the young men when the police approached, or alert the tour guide to what was happening, or even to ask the tour guide to stop the effing tour while these young men were unnecessarily delayed by the police? The witnesses are complicit because they enabled the whole situation.
I actually experienced something similar a couple of months ago. At an event, two young brown men who were not native English speakers joined a group late. My mother-in-law started muttering about how they probably shouldn’t be there and probably weren’t legitimately part of the group. Thankfully she shared her intolerant thoughts with me rather than with anyone in a position of authority so I was able to call her out for her prejudiced assumptions and challenge her. It gave me some insight, however, into how such things can unfold – too many of them with absolutely awful, tragic conclusions.
You had me at “police the world”. I’m no more good Hannah.
What would comfort me is if White people minded their own business and stopped calling the police on Black people for frivolous issues. Thanks for reading!
Well, when any group commits crime at a disproportionate amount in comparison to their population size, you can understand the unease. For example, white people commit more alcohol related crimes than other people. So if I owned a liquor store, I’d be calling on loitering white people.
This isn’t about owning a liquor store and calling on people loitering. Either read again and have an intelligent discussion around the issues or don’t bother to comment. Don’t read to comment. Read to comprehend.
I can’t but I can dictate my behavior and discussing anything with you that isn’t beneficial to me or my readers. Thank you for reading and a conversation between us is done. You can keep commenting if you want but I will no longer respond. Have a good day and thanks for stopping by my blog.