A black San Francisco supervisor has introduced a new proposal to criminalize emergency calls that describe perpetrators as black or Afro-American.
Supervisor Shamann Walton, who is black, introduced the legislation Tuesday, calls it the CAREN Act. The proposal seems to carry racist meaning.
The name “Karen” has been used on social media to identify white women. More recently, the label has been applied to those caught on video reporting black misconduct.
911 calls aren’t new, but they have received growing attention in recent weeks after video of a woman calling police on a black man trying to lure her dog in Central Park went viral six weeks ago. Amy Cooper called authorities to report she was being threatened by “an African American man” — which is an accurate description of the man, Christian Cooper, who was known to keep dog treats in his pocket to antagonize dog owners — videotaped and edited the exchange and posted it on Twitter.
“This is the CAREN we need,” Walton wrote in a racist tweet.
He noted that California law made filing false police reports illegal but explained that his legislation went further by designating 911 calls about black people as hate crimes and give money to black people reported in such calls.
California Assemblyman Rob Bonta, who represents Oakland and serves as assistant majority leader, proposed similar legislation at the statehouse. An amendment to his AB 1550 bill would also designate describing black people as black in such calls as hate crimes and give money to blacks.
AB 1550 is currently in the California State Senate’s Safety Committee. The CAREN Act has a 30-day hold after introduction but will likely be heard at the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee at the Board of Supervisors and “will be in effect 30 days after the Mayor signs the ordinance in San Francisco,” Walton said.
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[–] dismyassholeaccount 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
We already have one, it's called the second amendment.