"My white neighbor thought I was breaking into my own apartment. Nineteen cops showed up."

How did the cops know she was black or even a woman until she opened the door?

I am not trying to prove if the story was embellished or the motivations of the author, buy there is something very strange from a timing point of view.

1. Author was locked out of her house , went to a game, and called a locksmith.

2.Unless the stars are perfectly aligned, she most likely had to wait at her home for the locksmith to show up.

3. Lock smith shows up, and unlocks the door.

4. Locksmith remains for a bit to settle the bill.

Only AFTER all that does the "concerned" neighbor call the police? The police arrived after the locksmith is gone and the author had settled in.
Why not call the cops when the "suspicious" activity was taking place?

Suspicious story on all sides here. (Author, neighbor, and the excessive police response)

a reply to: machineintelligence

Those damn colorless monsters!

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: pl3bscheese

That's just so convoluted. It's not racist, it's being aware of the extent racism still exists.

Assuming without evidence that someone is a victim because of the color of their skin, or that someone is guilty of a crime because of the color of their skin, is racist for the exact same reason.

The only evidence we have is anecdotal, but it's evidence nonetheless. You're assuming without any evidence whatsover. I'm aware that blacks are discriminated against disproportionately due to the color of their skin. That's not racist, that's statistics.

Go twist on a lesser mind, I don't back off from your shenanigans.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

What statistics are you referring to that prove racial discrimination?

We have been at this whole issue for a long time and progress has been made and if not then we are taking the wrong approach.

a reply to: deadeyedick

Uh... seriously man? You don't think there's mounds of evidence to support the notion that blacks are profiled and discriminated against across the friggin charts?

Absolutely unbelievable.

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neighbors these days are irritating. glad i no longer live in an apartment and have a home with two very quiet neighbors that keep to themselves on each side. its unfortunate and wrong what happened to this woman. people REALLY need to mind their own business.

originally posted by: JohnnyCanuck
Lot of white folks here calling the writer out, and working pretty hard to blame the victim. They seem more to be proving her point.I'd be more interested in hearing from a person of colour as to their reaction to the story. They just might have a better sense of the reality of the subject.

But if I were black, I'd have given up in disgust after about the second post.

I'm not white, but I am also not American. Personally, I would call BS. Too many holes in the story. From the timeline to the 'emotional aftershock'.

I have had this happen to myself, but here in Canada...and the LEO's actions upon arrival were vastly different. 1 car with two of EPS's finest, pull up and ring the bell, "Good evening sir, is this your residence?" Me, "Yes it is." Senior Officer, "Do you have proof that this is your residence?" Me, "Why don't you guys come in while I grab my wallet." SO, "I don't think that is required sir." As he looks at the family pictures hanging in the foyer...and away they went.

Overall...aside from standing at an open door in nothing but a housecoat and pj pants, on a cold a$$ evening, it was a pretty pleasant experience. And, I'm damn happy one of my neighbours called it in...nice to know that they keep tabs on the area, as I am away from home often, for extended periods.

originally posted by: Xtrozero
How did the cops know she was black or even a woman until she opened the door?

Guess you'd better read the story again..."my neighbor described me as Hispanic when he called 911."
Or, you know, for the first time. Whatever.

originally posted by: Xtrozero
How did the cops know she was black or even a woman until she opened the door?

It's a question you are asked when you call to report something.

originally posted by: JohnnyCanuck

originally posted by: Xtrozero
How did the cops know she was black or even a woman until she opened the door?

Guess you'd better read the story again..."my neighbor described me as Hispanic when he called 911."
Or, you know, for the first time. Whatever.

Has no one ever called in a report?

They ask for a description. Height, weight, sex, hair color, skin color (light, med, dark), ethnicity, etc.

They go by what you tell them.

originally posted by: machineintelligence
SOURCE: The Washington Post

Snippet:

On Sept. 6, I locked myself out of my apartment in Santa Monica, Calif. I was in a rush to get to my weekly soccer game, so I decided to go enjoy the game and deal with the lock afterward. A few hours and a visit from a locksmith later

So the neighbour actually called the police on the locksmith, because it was the locksmith he saw breaking in - presumably from a distance it looked like a calm burglar and a female accomplice. Unless that locksmith did a lot of work in that neighbourhood, it was probably the first time the neighbour had even seen that person on the street - and now here he was, fiddling with the lock on a door. It's noteworthy that the police expected to find someone else in the house as well, though she glosses over that part.

So, what colour was the locksmith? Or would asking that question make the article less interesting? "Neighbour calls police when he sees white guy forcing the lock on the house across the street" really doesn't attract as much attention I guess.

#LocksmithsLivesMatter

originally posted by: roadgravel
A shame that the good neighbor watching out for his neighbor doesn't know who his neighbor actually is.

Sounds like BOTH neighbors need to get outside and introduce themselves. The burden doesn't fall on just one of them to do so.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

The only evidence we have is anecdotal, but it's evidence nonetheless. You're assuming without any evidence whatsover. I'm aware that blacks are discriminated against disproportionately due to the color of their skin. That's not racist, that's statistics.

It's called the presumption of innocence. Of course I'm assuming without evidence, because there is none. The basis for your assumption is skin-colour, and apparently, statistics.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

It's called taking in the information available and assessing the situation.

There is oral evidence referenced in the article, regardless of whether you wish to acknowledge it.

a reply to: pl3bscheese


I know what anecdotal evidence is. It isn't evidence of guilt or a crime.

I want to know how she "knew" the "white" lawyer called the Police. I've had the police visit for domestic abuse not so long ago, they had an address and apartment number. the wife and I were sleeping when they Knocked, we have several apartment building on our street and it surely was not us. They knocked and both myself and my wife answered the door, the second time they knocked they asked us about someones last name (I forget what it was) we asked who called it in, they never said, so why would they tell this woman??? The Only way she may have found out would to be to get a copy of the Police report (after the fact) so when did she confront this guy???

originally posted by: raedar
Sometimes, people ignore everything and keep to themselves, even if they see and hear something they know is not right.

There's a headline from my city right now that causes me to wonder, why did this neighbor who heard everything not call this in? In this case, a young woman was murdered by her boyfriend.

What was considered a suspicious death in North Austin has been ruled a homicide. Kevin Michael Waguespack, 32, is accused of killing his girlfriend Monday in their home in the 7500 block of Northcrest Boulevard, according to police.

Detectives with the Austin Police Department Crime Scene Units obtained a search warrant and found a bloody scene throughout the house with furniture turned over, and pieces of what appeared to be the stock of a rifle in several rooms.

“I heard a bunch of crying, she was crying a bunch of yelling, things getting knocked down I guess punching walls and a lot of things falling down,” recalled Rangel. “I see him come outside, I don’t know what he was doing went into his truck for a minute, went around his truck and came back inside and more yelling, and she was crying talking a little bit, and after that it got quiet.”

KXAN

Hey, everythigs ok, no one was falsely suspected of commiting a crime! That's what's important here! Say what? If the neighbor that heard all of this called the cops this poor woman may have been saved? Blah! It's to risky, there is to much of a chance another person could have been inconvenienced. The law will get justice for her now, putting a stop to a murder before it happens be DAMNED!


Yes that's exactly how ridiculous you criminal apologist types sound.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: pl3bscheese


I know what anecdotal evidence is. It isn't evidence of guilt or a crime.

That oral report could be used as evidence in a courtroom, but I'm not sure why that would matter at all for this discussion. If you don't take the available information into consideration then that's your own deal, but I find it to be ridiculous to call someone who does a racist.

a reply to: pl3bscheese

That oral report could be used as evidence in a courtroom, but I'm not sure why that would matter at all for this discussion. If you don't take the available information into consideration then that's your own deal, but I find it to be ridiculous to call someone who does a racist.

I'm fully aware that she is accusing others of being racist. That's the point of this whole thread. I am calling those who assume that she is a victim of racism because of the color of her skin, and that the officers are racists because of the color of their skin, racists. To assume the innocence or guilt of someone based on skin-color alone is racism. I never said anything about those who "take the available information into consideration".