A White Woman Threatened to Call the Cops on Me—False Reporting Should Be a Crime

In my 45 years as a Black man living in America, one thing I know is that you do not have to commit a crime to be convicted of a crime. It is a fact that is backed by stories—friends and family regaling tales of police arresting them because they “fit the description”, and data. The National Registry of Exonerations reports that between 1989 and 2022, half of the 3,300 people exonerated were Black.

This is a reality for many of us. A biased justice system targets African Americans and it seems there is not much we can do to escape its grasp, especially when someone calls the police.

If you ask many Black men or women in the U.S. if the cops have ever been called on them, you will probably get a blank stare, an eye roll, and a response of “What kind of dumb question is that? Of course, I have.”

When probing why, you will get various answers—”I was playing my music too loud”, or “People thought I was breaking into my own home,”—I have personally experienced that one myself. “I was walking or driving in the wrong part of town,”—code for a place with very little to no Black people—”looking as if I am up to no good” or “I posed a threat.”

When peeling back the layer even more, most Black people will tell you that it was white people who called 911.

Years ago when I lived in San Francisco, I got into a parking dispute with an older white woman. I might have taken the parking spot she was waiting on, but it was something very minor.

When we both got out of our cars, she began to yell at me. I brushed it off and began to walk away when the woman said, “If you go anywhere, I will call the police.” I froze up because I knew what those words meant. She knew the power behind those words. There was no damage to any of our cars, no threats or physical violence taking place, the woman was just frustrated that I, a Black man, did not want to stand there and get berated. That was it. We both knew if the police came, whose side they would take. That’s the power of calling the cops on Black people.

My life has always been guided by what I can do, should do, and should not do. Most folks are taught that life is full of unlimited possibilities—you can do anything you want. The old saying “The world is yours” comes to mind.

That unfortunately was not my life. My Mother’s words about being careful in certain areas and people continuously ring in my head. Lessons from uncles, older cousins, and elders in the neighborhood have always warned me to be careful with my words, body language, and actions when interacting with white men and women.

Being a Black man is an exercise in caution—every minute of the day you have to think about whether you sound threatening, your tone is aggressive, or your movements are perceived as dangerous.

From the corporate world to walking down the street to grab a sandwich, we African American men and women have to self-police ourselves to a point where it feels like a weight on our back, because if someone perceives us as a threat and calls the police, then our lives may change.

Before the emergence of “Karen”, also known as “the entitled white woman who chooses to impose her authority on Black people”, I believe that many white people used the police as a tool to try and assert control over Black people.

From slavery, to the Black Codes, and Jim Crow, there has always been this need to regulate the comings and goings of African Americans. We had to live in certain areas—housing discrimination, attend certain schools—segregation, work in certain industries—workplace discrimination, and seek health care at certain hospitals—more discrimination.

When Black men and women had the audacity to refuse these societal norms, we were punished by racist mobs and the authorities for “stepping out of line.” We had to “know our place” and that is still the narrative today.

When I talk with my friends of all races about white people calling the police on Black folks, they all pretty much say the same thing: “White people understand the dynamic between them, the police, and African Americans. It is impossible for them to not understand how they and Black men and women are viewed by law enforcement”, a white colleague said.

“White men, especially white women, have this trump card they can use whenever there is a dispute, argument, and conflict with a Black person. If they feign fear, play up the danger factor, and add white tears, any accusation a white person lobs at African Americans could be believed. It does not matter if it is fake,” a Black man told me.

When I think about the incident I experienced in San Francisco along with the tales from my friends, and nationally publicized stories of white men and women calling cops on Black people, it makes me realize this is another way to exert authority over us.

I believe calling 911 and reporting a false crime should be a punishable crime. The California Assembly Bill 1775 was passed in 2020. It is a legislation that views these calls as racial harassment and a hate crime. I believe this should also be nationwide. These calls designed to intimidate and stoke fear into African Americans should be a felony. It is that serious.

Any contact I or another Black person has with the police could be my last. A friend told me, “White people need to start treating calling 911 on Black people like handling a gun.”

LeRon L. Barton is a writer, author, and speaker.

All views expressed are the author’s own.

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