Woman who called police on young black girl selling water says she's getting death threats

The white woman who called the police because she spotted an eight-year-old black girl selling water in San Francisco has claimed she has been receiving death threats.

The now viral video sees Alison Ettel, who has since been dubbed 'Permit Patty', standing on a street with a phone to her ear attempting to call the police as she believes the girl was "illegally selling water without a permit".

The girl's mother Erin Austin captured the incident, which was then shared on social media by the girl's cousin, where it has already received more than 8 million views.

USA Today reports that Austin had recently lost her job and that her daughter was attempting to raise some money in order to fund a trip to Disneyland.

In response, Ettel told NBC's 'Today' show that she was working from home that day and that the girl's loud sales pitch was the reason for her confrontation and there was nothing racial behind her motives.

She is quoted as saying:

I tried to be polite, but I was stern. I said, ‘Please. I’m trying to work. You’re screaming.

'You’re yelling. People have open windows. It’s a hot day.

'Can you please keep it down? Do you have a right to be here?'

Ettel adds that she was only calling the police to check if a permit was required to sell water at that location.

When police asked her if she wanted any officers to arrive at the scene she declined.

There was no point in having the police come.

That wasn't it. I just wanted them to be quiet or move to a corner.

They were being disruptive. That was it. It was nothing about selling the water. It was just the disruption.

However, Austin tells a different story and believes that Ettel was using "white privilege".

She adds:

She never asked us to be quiet.

She just came out and directly demanded to see a permit to sell water from an eight-year-old.

That woman thought that she could use her white privilege, and it didn’t work.

Since the video went viral, Ettel has been the subject of abuse and claims she has also received death threats because of what she did. She also says her phone number and address have been made public.

Ettel has since said that she regrets her actions and is not proud of how she acted.

I'm not proud of how I acted.

I would have taken a walk. I would have done something, not that.

It was all in the heat of the moment, and it was wrong.

HT CTV

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