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Original poster

To hope this racist woman loses her job

999 replies

TildaKauskumholm · 26/05/2020 10:43

twitter.com/melodyMcooper/status/1264965252866641920?s=19. Was appalled to see this video on Twitter - a guy in Central park, NYC, who was birdwatching, politely asked a woman to put her dog on the lead as per the regulation in that part of the park. He started filming it as she got abusive and called the cops, to say that she (white) and her dog were being threatened by an African-American man and could they send the police (as we know this can often result in a shooting).All the while she was holding her dog up by dangling it from its collar, half strangling it. The man left and his sister put the video on Twitter, resulting in the racist dog strangler being identified very quickly... she has a high powered job with an insurance company. The animal shelter took back the dog, and her company says she is on 'administrative leave' hopefully meaning she will get fired. I was really shocked and dismayed that such open racism is still going on, even though she was being filmed! Surely she must lose her job at least, what company would want to be linked to something like this?

OP posts:
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5
Waxonwaxoff0 · 26/05/2020 13:47

She should be charged with wasting police time and false accusations.

BellaVida · 26/05/2020 13:48

They both unnecessarily escalated the situation, but she was completely out of order to make phone the police, make a false allegation that he was threatening her life and make reference to his race.

She was entirely in the wrong for holding her dog up by its collar. The poor thing was visibly struggling and choking. Why on earth she didn’t just clip on the lead immediately is beyond me.

VladmirsPoutine · 26/05/2020 13:48

Hope she never works again.

Honestly. I hope she has savings because I hope she never even gets so much as a job interview again.

Experimenopause · 26/05/2020 13:48

totallyyesno
That system won’t charge anyone like her for something like this. She was clearly trying to manipulate that to her advantage. It’s good that she was filmed. At least her job will go.

Joolsin · 26/05/2020 13:49

If I was black, male and living in America with police with guns I would be walking round with a body cam permanently on.

This

changeitupagain · 26/05/2020 13:50

@CatherineofAregonspomegranate

@SimonJT

@LemonadeAndDaisyChains

@matchboxtwentyunwell

You have all conveniently ignored half of my post to fit your own narrative.

This is what I said

"If i was being threatened by a man who happened to be black I would call the police and say there is a black man threatening me. Exactly the same if there was a white man, a Middle Eastern man, a ginger man or a man with a scar or a glass eye. Because they are physical descriptors and would hopefully help with the identification and possible catching of the person who threatened me."

If there was a white man threatening me I would 100% mention his race too. Because it's a physical description of how he looks and my parents always taught me that when you phone the police to report someone you describe that someone in case they're already know to the police.

So yes I would say 'a white/black/Asian/blonde man is threatening me. Or I might say 'there's a man threatening me, he's black/white/tall/ginger/painted bright green". How it would come out in the moment would depend on fear, but yes I would mention race and any other key physical descriptors at instinct.

I'm not saying that this woman wasn't being racist in her intents. I am saying that race is a key description of someone's appearance and we shouldn't all tiptoe around mentioning it, no matter what the race of the perpatrator is.

C8H10N4O2 · 26/05/2020 13:50

Job losses, social media shame - the whole 9 yards.

Unlikely in reality. MC professional in financial services. A few words of apology, an afternoon's diversity training and many of her social circle probably think exactly the same way.

Seriously though - how anyone watching either version of the video and suggest there was "wrong on both sides" beggers belief.

Lardlizard · 26/05/2020 13:50

I never said white privilege didn’t exist !

VladmirsPoutine · 26/05/2020 13:50

They both unnecessarily escalated the situation

When black people don't have evidence they end up dead. I am glad he escalated it. It means he got to walk out of the woods both alive and with evidence if he ends up dead. Why can't white people for one second just try to remove their white lens and see how life is when you're black. Like I won't even go on holiday to some places just because I fear being attacked for being part black. And yes for a pp who asked me - yes white women are the most dangerous demographic.

MrsOfBebbanburg · 26/05/2020 13:50

@changeitupagain watch the video.

Before she phones the police she tells the man “I’m going to call the police and tell them an African American man is threatening me”. That is her issuing the threat. She’s telling him to stop filming her or she’ll call the men with the guns and use the magic words that will bring them running towards him. That is literally what she’s saying when she tells him that. She knows they power of those words and the fear it would induce in a black man.

PanicOnTheStreets85 · 26/05/2020 13:51

If I was black, male and living in America with police with guns I would be walking round with a body cam permanently on.

Agreed. Or indeed if I was a black female. Let's not forget Sandra Bland amongst others.

boredtotears11 · 26/05/2020 13:52

But seriously why do people have to film everything these days

I don’t understand why people object so much to individuals using cameras. We’re under surveillance by the government constantly, there’s cameras everywhere. Why should the public not be allowed to film, especially in America. The police lie constantly, they can’t get away with it if it’s on film. This was a perfect example of why. I hope that right is never taken away.

SharonasCorona · 26/05/2020 13:53

@changeitupagain would you also tell the black man that is am calling the police to tell them a black man is threatening me’? Or would you get busy calling the police? She was trying to intimidate him.

dreamingbohemian · 26/05/2020 13:53

In New York, she could possibly be charged with making a criminal threat or menacing. With no weapon, it would be a misdemeanor.

It is actually against the law to threaten to harm another person. It may not be prosecuted very often but it is against the law.

Megatron · 26/05/2020 13:53

She seems scared

Does she? If I was scared I wouldn't be marching towards the 'scary' person, I'd be getting the hell out of there.

She knew exactly which buzz words to use and was blatantly being racist, how anyone can dress it up any other way is baffling. The undercurrent of racism on some of these posts is as worrying as it is unsurprising.

If I were a black man in the USA, I reckon I'd be wearing a go pro at all times.

C8H10N4O2 · 26/05/2020 13:53

So yes I would say 'a white/black/Asian/blonde man is threatening me

Would you walk toward that person and threaten them clearly and authoritatively that if they didn't stop doing a perfectly legal action then you would call the police and report them by race? Knowing that the descriptor alone puts them at risk?

Or would you say I'll call the police and report "you"?

Its utterly disengenuous to suggest her use of the descriptor when speaking one on one to him was entirely innocent.

totallyyesno · 26/05/2020 13:54

I am not defending her because I don't know her OR what happened exactly. That doesn't mean that racism is not a serious problem in society but why this rush to find a scapegoar? This is just so incredibly ridiculous that people are calling for someone's life to be ruined on the basis of a short clip. Yes she made a mistake but can we have some perspective? I have worked with offenders - including people convicted of serious violent racist attacks. Even the justice system didn't try and ruin them completely. Trial by social media is just sickening, the worse kind of vigliantism and if it ends in suicide people are always quick to distance themselves from it.

SharonasCorona · 26/05/2020 13:54

And the other point here is that he has a right to be annoyed

How many MNers have complained about dogs in no-dogs areas?

And yet black people have to be whiter than white.

JanewaysBun · 26/05/2020 13:54

That's horrible, racism is terrible and she is completely in the wrong.

People who let their dogs off lead where they're not supposed to are twats.

Totally fine to film so that you have evidence for the police.

In general I am uncomfortable with things being posted on the internet without someone's permission. I'm very uncomfortable with the increasing lack of privacy.

Schoenes · 26/05/2020 13:54

@changeitupagain Have you watched the clip? He was not threatening her.

changeitupagain · 26/05/2020 13:55

@Mrsofbebanburg

Ok, that was a nuanced threat, and you are right about that.

However if she had just said she was going to call the police and tell them there's a man threatening her, and then when she did she said 'I'm in X, there's a man threatening me, he's black.' Do you think she'd be in the wrong for being racist, or just physically describing the person she perceives to be threatening her?

Menora · 26/05/2020 13:55

It made me feel sick watching what she did to that dog
And the ‘terror?’ She suddenly escalated on the phone where she was the aggressor - came marching over to him, he said don’t come over and then she decided to become suddenly hysterical

MrsOfBebbanburg · 26/05/2020 13:55

"If i was being threatened by a man who happened to be black I would call the police and say there is a black man threatening me. Exactly the same if there was a white man, a Middle Eastern man, a ginger man or a man with a scar or a glass eye.

Bullshit.

There is no way in hell you would lift the phone and say “a ginger man is threatening me” or “a man with a glass eye is threatening me” you would say “a man is threatening me” And then when asked to describe him you would say “he’s white, ginger hair, about 5’9”, scar on his left cheek” etc.

SharonasCorona · 26/05/2020 13:55

but why this rush to find a scapegoar?

This makes no sense. Who is the real goat here then if she’s being scapegoated?

TenShortStories · 26/05/2020 13:55

Assuming we have all the relevant information this is pretty damning. We don't know is what they said to each other before the filming started, but it seems insanely unlikely that her life was threatened. Who marches up to someone they think might kill them and then gets on the phone and say "are you available" to the Police?! Later in the call she switches from a wound up angry voice to panicked and shrieky. The panic sounded potentially genuine, but probably came from the reality of the situation she's just got herself into hitting home. Terrible behaviour on her part and of course he was right to film. Anyone should be able to when they feel a situation is dangerous for them.

I do not agree with a witch hunt attitude towards anyone so I don't think this should be plastered over the internet in order to shame her. It does however show a useful 'other side' to the media report we could have heard about the man getting killed/apprehended in the park for threatening a lady walking her dog.

The Karen thing is a pet peeve of mine but this isn't the time to take issue with it when the woman tried to get the Police on him for threatening her!