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SF Supes Pass ‘Caren Act’ to Make Racially Biased 911 Calls Illegal

22 Oct 2020 Alex Mak - Managing Editor
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Updated: Oct 27, 2020 09:45
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The “CAREN Act” (Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies) was introduced in July at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting by Supervisor Shamann Walton of District 10.

The ordinance is one step closer to becoming a law. On Tuesday, the board unanimously passed the act. Next week, the bill has to be voted on again by the board, and then it will be sent to Mayor London Breed to sign.

 

The ordinance’s name is a reference to “Karen,” the name social media gives people making racially biased 911 calls.  Perhaps the most famous “Karen” incident came this past Spring, where a white woman named Amy Cooper threatened to make a false 911 call to endanger a black man in Central Park NY,   “I’m going to tell them there’s an African American man threatening my life.” She warned.

The only real reason Karen got in trouble is because she was filmed, and the video went viral.

It’s no secret that in America, a white person can use their privilege to manipulate police and put a black person’s life in great danger.  Even if she is lying through her teeth.
The ordinance is similar to the statewide AB 1550 bill introduced by California Assemblyman Rob Bonta, making it unlawful and accountable for a caller to “fabricate false racially biased emergency reports.”.

And let’s not pretend like Central Park Karen was just one isolated case. BeenVerified, a leading public data company based in New York, analyzed 150 incidents over the past 2 ½ years in which white people were caught on video calling police or security on people of color for seemingly trumped-up crimes.
Interestingly, they broke down the instances of these calls by state.  California is at the top of the list, to be fair CA has by far the largest population of any state, but perhaps it has a large of amount of white privilege as well…
It should be noted that no “Karens” in these instances are actually named Karen. In BeenVerified examination of recent news reports, memes and viral videos, The have yet to find a “Karen” who is actually named Karen.
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Alex Mak - Managing Editor

Alex Mak - Managing Editor

I'm the managing editor and co-owner of this little expiriment. I enjoy covering Bay Area News as well as writing about Arts, Culture & Nightlife.

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