In the last year, there has been more incidents of false emergency calls caught on video, where white people can be seen calling the cops on black people. In April, a woman now known as “Barbecue Becky” called the police in Oakland, CA on a group of black men having a picnic in a park. In May, campus police were called at Yale University because a black graduate student was napping in the common room. In June, a woman called the police to report a black 8 year old girl for selling water without a permit.
Now, New York state senator Hamilton announced on Wednesday his proposal to make calling 911 on law-abiding people of color a hate crime.
State Senator Jesse Hamilton represents the Brooklyn areas of Brownsville, Crown Heights and Flatbush. A woman called the cops on Hamilton for no known reason earlier this month, when he was campaigning on the streets in his district.
“I support Trump, and I see the difference between Democrat and Republican - and I see the difference between you and Trump,” the woman said in the interaction caught on camera. She then can be heard criticizing Hamilton for giving out flyers on “fighting back” against Trump. The woman proceeded to call the cops. When police arrived on the scene, they “patiently explained to the woman that Hamilton had done nothing illegal,” the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reports.
Last week I introduced the 911 Anti-Discrimination Bill. The legislation aims to combat the misuse of 911 and the many #LivingWhileBlack incidents that have occurred. The pattern of using 911 to intimidate people of color is a national problem and we must take action. pic.twitter.com/4lqWlEgaVs
— Jesse Hamilton (@SenatorHamilton) August 20, 2018
According to The Hill, Hamilton’s proposal would prosecute people for placing racially charge calls to the police without any evidence of wrongdoing.
“That’s gonna be a hate crime,” Hamilton said to The Patch. “This pattern of calling the police on black people going about their business and participating in the life of our country has to stop.”
The legislation would essentially strengthen an existing New York law that prohibits making false reports, more so when the police respond to a call with the belief that the person is a serious threat. Hamilton also said that a type of legislation like this is needed to make sure people making false reports against people of color are penalized.
“Living while black is not a crime. But making a false report, especially motivated by hate, should be. Our laws should recognize that false reports with hateful intent can have deadly consequences,” he said to The Daily Eagle.
