Two lawmakers have proposed an act that would see racially-biased false police reports treated as a hate crime.
The proposal follows amid a growing number of viral footages in which women – dubbed as Karen – have been seen calling the police on people of color based on unjustified reasons.
The so-called ‘CAREN’ Act, which goes under the full name of Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergences Act, has been proposed by Matt Haney and Shamann Walton, two San Francisco lawmakers who work for the City’s Board of Supervisors.
While filing false police reports is already punishable by law, the new act would add hate crime charges to the table.
“Racist 911 calls are unacceptable that’s why I’m introducing the CAREN Act at today’s SF Board of Supervisors meeting. This is the CAREN we need,” Walton shared in his Twitter post.
Adding to the debate was also the co-author of the bill and San Francisco’s 6th District representative Walsh who explained:
“The CAREN Act makes it unlawful to fabricate false racially biased emergency reports. Racist false reports put people in danger and waste resources.”
As of this writing, the City’s Board of Supervisors hasn’t yet passed their votes concerning the CAREN Act.
One of the most recent and high-profile cases involving a ‘Karen’ started on May 25 when Amy Cooper called the police on a bird watcher after he asked her to put her dog on a leash in a public park.
Amy, a financier who used to work for Franklin Templeton, called the authorities and alleged that an African-American man was threatening her and her dog in Central Park.
Later identified as 57-year-old Christian Cooper, the man explained he is a passionate bird watcher who merely asked the woman to put her dog on a leash because the animal was “tearing through the plantings” in a protected area.
After confronting Amy and asking her to put her dog on a leash, Christian was met with a fierce response whereas the woman became agitated and called the cops after he pulled out his dog treats.
“I’m in the Ramble, there is a man, African-American, he has a bicycle helmet and he is recording me and threatening me and my dog. I am being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately!” she told the 911 operator.
Following the incident, the Manhattan district attorney shared a statement that confirmed Cooper has been charged with “falsely reporting an incident in the third degree.”
“I would like to encourage anyone who has been the target of false reporting to contact our Office. We are strongly committed to holding perpetrators of this conduct accountable,” Vance shared in a Twitter post along with a statement from the Office.
After the incident, Cooper has also been fired from her job.
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Replaced!