Gentrification in major metropolitan cities has birthed a new form of harassment, where newcomers feel entitled to police residents who've had generations of traditions in the neighborhoods they rightfully call their own and Oakland, California is one of the most affected cities and quickly evolving communities in all of the United States affected by gentrification.
For instance, on April 29th, this unknown woman approached a black family preparing to throw a barbecue at Lake Merritt and claimed that the group was using an unpermitted charcoal grill in an undesignated cooking area which prompted the woman to call the authorities.
The entire incident was captured on film by a witness, Michelle Snider, who just so happened to be a white resident in attendance at the barbecue alongside her husband, Kenzie Smith. Towards the beginning of the entire confrontation, Snider could be heard asking the random woman, “Why are you so bent out of shape over them being here?”
The woman then went on to explain that it costs the city of Oakland tax dollars if someone is injured or damage is done to the public property which just so happens to have multiple barbecue zones for both charcoal and non-charcoal grills. Coincidentally, the family had been in a barbecue permitted area but not in a charcoal-permitted zone.
Snider's husband, Kenzie Smith stated the following, "She said that we were trespassing, we were not welcome, and then she turned back around and said, ‘Y’all going to jail.'"
The woman also directed her hostility towards, Onsayo Abram -- the man who was in charge and set up the grill as she stood close to the family's party area while on the phone waiting for authorities to arrive, and proceeded to participate in a back and forth argument with the family for about ten minutes.
Near the 22:30-minute mark of the video, the woman who was attempting to police the family on a Sunday afternoon quickly turned into a victim as she met an Oakland police officer at a nearby convenience store parking lot and began to instantaneously sob as she stated, "I'm being harassed!"
After sorting out all the details, the officer present questioned the barbecuing family for nearly an hour, made an official report, but did not distribute any citations to anyone present.
Of course, after this footage popped up on social media, it enraged the local community and patrons across the country. This woman's passive aggressive attempt to use police resources to stop black residents from simply existing in a public setting is an abuse of power and a unnecessary method in how to deal with our issues as a society.
Hopefully, this trend of citizens using law enforcement against people of color becomes a thing of a past and there becomes more legal consequences and punishments for those who abuse police resources.
Source: rawstory.com
