WATCH: White man corners and interrogates Black woman who was driving in her own neighborhood

[StarfishSaver]

A Black Massachusetts woman posted a video to social media showing a white man following her in his car in her own neighborhood, ultimately interrogating her as to what she was doing there.

“I just got Karen’d? Julia Santos tweeted. “This man followed me home because I went to pick up DOG FOOD at somebody’s house!”

In the video, the driver of a convertible BMW corners Santos on a street and begins firing questions at her, asking who she is. According to the Boston Globe, Santos has lived in the neighborhood her entire life.

“So what are you driving up Juniper Terrace for?” the man asks.

Santos explained that she had just picked up the dog food after seeing a post online.

“I don’t feel safe right now,” she then says.

“You don’t feel safe? I don’t feel safe with you driving around in my neighborhood,” he replies.
https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/watch-white-man-corners-and-interrogates-black-woman-who-was-driving-in-her-own-neighborhood/

This sounds so familiar. I can't count how many times I've been accosted by white people demanding that I prove my right to be in the space we are both occupying.

[Tom Rinaldo]

1. Thank god for cell phone videos. All of these assholes better start fearimg being outed

Because increasingly they will be, nationwide through viral posts, and it could not happen to more deserving people.

[StarfishSaver]

26. True

But it's REALLY frustrating that we've been saying for years that this has been happening yet no one believed us. As if we just went around making this stuff up. This lack of trust, even among our allies, is not a very pleasant thing to deal with.

[Tom Rinaldo]

27. And that has gone on for all your life

I've been an ally all of my life but I never fully got it until a few years ago, and I've been trying to absorb it as much as I can ever since. I can't begin to imagine how frustrating it has to be when even your
"friends" don't seem to hear you regarding such a core and critical truth.

[gollygee]

2. I agree - thank goodness for cell phone videos

Because this has gone on FOREVER and there weren't any consequences before cell phone videos. There have to be consequences or it'll never stop. And we white people have to hold each other accountable - when we see videos but also in our daily lives.

[onetexan]

3. There needs to be a federal law that prohibits calling police on people of color for no reason.

I know some localities have laws against dialing 911 & falsely reporting crimes. I don't think it will be anytime soon though.

In the meantime we weaponize our cellphone cameras and catch these racists in the act. They may be charged depending on the severity of their actions. In the least exposing them on social media will shame the heck out of these racists.

[gollygee]

4. There is a "false police report" law or something

But I never hear about anyone actually being charged with it in cases like this. Amy Cooper - the woman who called the police on the bird watcher in Central Park - outright lied. She should have faced a charge for filing a false police report, at the very least.

[SaveOurDemocracy]

5. The video:

Link to tweet

[gollygee]

8. He actually said he doesn't know what color she is

Come on now, random racist man.

[JI7]

6. He looks like a sexual predator

[sop]

7. If the police won't protect innocent people from this sort of racist harassment, the rest of us need

to confront these assholes and give them a taste of their own medicine. Record them, identify them, expose them for what they are, publicly harass them and make them pay dearly.

[Tipperary]

11. He has been identified and issued a summons.

[obamanut2012]

14. good -- thanks for the info

[LizBeth]

18. +1

[mokawanis]

9. Outrageous

I don't know how she kept it together. I would have been swearing at that asshole.

[NoMoreRepugs]

10. Maybe the perm he just got seeped into his brain.

Go back to the 80’s “Dude.”

[tishaLA]

12. I'm glad another white came in at the end

and said that she didn't like that he was harassing (I think) that "poor woman." We need more people to stand up against this kind of baloney and shame them.

I hope the guy's life is ruined and he loses his job. I'm so GD sick of this and if he's willing to do it on camera he's done it before off-camera.

[obamanut2012]

15. What is a "white"?

Is that like a black or a brown? Come on, colors are adjectives, not nouns.

The use of blacks, whites, etc. drives me bonkers. Same for "female." Female is an adjective.

[LanternWaste]

16. It's both a noun and an adjective.

"Female is an adjective."

(if we're going to allege offense, at least let's be accurate in our justifications for doing so...)

[LizBeth]

17. +1

[malaise]

13. I would not have answered a single question from him

My response would have consisted of these exact words "Who the fuck are you again"?

[Grammy23]

28. He just got his Jr. Deputy badge

and thought he’d throw his weight around a little. Sounded like that was not his first time.

[csziggy]

29. Followed by "Why are you foolowing me?" "Why are you stalking me?"

The I would call the police, if the ones in her community could be trusted - which it seems they can.

[LizBeth]

19. I was relieved to hear a woman in the back ground start yelling out. We can never walk away. We need

to always interfere.

[Goodheart]

21. May this racist bastard lose his job or business

like so many racist bastards before him.

[dalton99a]

22. Paul Birkhauser:

Link to tweet

[dalton99a]

23. Man who allegedly followed, confronted Black woman in Groveland to face criminal charges

https://www.boston.com/news/racial-justice/2020/07/02/groveland-incident-black-woman-followed
Man who allegedly followed, confronted Black woman in Groveland to face criminal charges
Paul Birkhauser is to be summoned to Haverhill District Court for a clerk magistrate's hearing.
By Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com Staff
July 2, 2020 | 3:13 PM

A man who allegedly followed a Black Groveland woman in her car and then questioned what she was doing in the neighborhood will be summoned to court on criminal charges.

The man, 65, is facing charges of disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, according to a news release from Groveland police. Authorities didn’t identify the man in the release, but his identity has been verified as Paul Birkhauser by The Boston Globe. Birkhauser is to be summoned to Haverhill District Court for a clerk magistrate’s hearing, police said.

Julia Santos had just picked up a free bag of dog food offered on one of the town’s community Facebook pages when she noticed the man following her. She pulled onto a side street instead of heading home. Birkhauser pulled up alongside her and confronted her about her whereabouts, as shown in a video clip.

[csziggy]

30. He's 65?! Boy is he trying to relive his youth!

Bleached blonde "surfer" hair AND a convertible. Wonder what he is compensating for?

[Lucinda]

24. ...

[ismnotwasm]

25. My neighborhood is mixed and working class.

Nobody would pull shit like this, or if they did, they wouldn’t be considered right in the head. There is Enough integration and folks just bring neighbors with each other. Not saying bigots aren’t here, they are.

This, though, this is pure racism, and all the “yeah but” people who try to both sides these situations just need to take a seat. And shut up.