A San Francisco supervisor drafted legislation that would make “racially exploitative” 911 calls a crime.
Supervisor Shamann Walton introduced the Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies Act on Tuesday. The ordinance has been dubbed the CAREN Act in reference to the catch-all name given to white women filmed overreacting to minor incidents. Walton said the legislation is necessary to prevent racially biased emergency reports in the future.
“[The ordinance is] part of a larger nationwide movement to address racial biases and implement consequences for weaponizing emergency resources with racist intentions,” Walton said.
Over the past few months, there have been multiple instances in which people have been filmed calling 911 on a black person without an evident threat present. Amy Cooper, a white woman who was filmed calling 911 on a black man, told the man beforehand that she was going to tell the 911 operator that he was black. Cooper was fired from her job after the footage went viral and was charged with making a false report this week.
With nationwide protests taking place against police brutality and racial injustice, some have argued that calling 911 on a black man puts their life at risk because the responding officers could use fatal force. Lawmakers in places across the country have proposed legislation that would criminalize calling law enforcement as an act of prejudice, according to the Washington Post.
Walton’s legislation is similar to that of California State Assemblyman Rob Banta. Banta’s legislation bars a 911 report that “summons law enforcement because they perceive another individual to be a threat due to their race, religion, outward appearance, or inclusion in a protected class.”
It is already a criminal misdemeanor in California to make false police reports.
