News

A white woman called the police on a black family for having a BBQ by a lake

A white woman called the police on a black family for having a BBQ by a lake

In a formula that is becoming depressingly familiar, a white woman has called the police on a black family in Oakland, California, simply because they were having a barbecue.

The black family were setting up by the lake on the morning of Sunday 29 April, when the unidentified white woman approached them and called the police because they were using a charcoal grill in a 'none-charcoal grill' area.

Michelle Snider, a witness to the incident, said the woman would not leave the family alone for over 90 minutes, and was acting in an "aggressive", "curt", and "unfriendly manner".

Snider confronted the woman for calling the police and filmed the encounter, uploading it to YouTube and Twitter.

“Why are you so bent out of shape over them being here?” Snider asked the white woman.

“Because it causes extra money from our city to do things when children get injured because of improperly disposed coals,” the woman replied.

Council member Lynette Gibson McElhaney told the HuffPost that police responded to the call, and then detained and questioned the family for an hour before releasing them without charge.

She also said that she is not aware of any reports of children being injured by discarded charcoal.

The incident comes just days after a white woman called the police on a black woman who was taking a nap in her common room at Yale University.

Just two weeks ago, three black people had the police called on them when they left an Airbnb, and last month, two black men were arrested in a Starbucks in Philadelphia simply because they were sitting in the coffee shop without having bought anything.

HT HuffPost

More: This black student decided to take a nap in a common room. Then someone decided to call the police

More: After two black customers were arrested, Starbucks vows that their bathrooms are open to everyone

The Conversation (0)