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ENTITY shares information about racism today.

It seems like every day a new outrageous display of racism is demanding our attention. There’s an increase of reports and viral videos of people calling the police on people of color, especially Black people. It seems like there is a growing list of things that people of color can’t do. However, many communities are coming together to fight racism with humor and unity. 

Permit Patty

ENTITY shares information on racism today.

Photo via Instagram / @Rob_Lane_edits

The internet dubbed Alison Ettel “Permit Patty” when she was caught on camera supposedly calling the police on an eight-year-old for selling water without a permit.  The video quickly went viral. The internet’s response?  Memes and jokes toward Ettel that match the ridiculousness of the situation. Ettel claimed that she only pretended to call the police. However, that hasn’t stopped people from protesting Ettel’s actions. Since the release of the video, Ettel has been dropped from the “Lady Bud” documentary and her tincture company, Treatwell Health has been dropped from Magnolia Oakland, a cannabis dispensary.

Napping While Black

ENTITY shares information on racism today.

Photo via Instagram / @robertjervay

Lolade Siyonbola documented her own experience with Sarah Braasch on Facebook live.  Braasch called the police on Siyonbola for taking a nap in the common area of their campus apartment building. In the video, Braasch, a white Ph.D. student is heard saying that she “[has] every right to call the police, you can not sleep in that room” even though Siyonbola is a registered student at the university. Siyonbola gave the Yale University Police her apartment keys and student ID as proof of residency. Ultimately, after nearly 20 minutes of recording, the officers allowed Siyonbola to return to her work.

This is not the first time that Braasch called the police on a black student. She previously called the police on Siyonbola’s friend Reneson Jean-Louis, a black Yale student who got lost in the building.

Siyonbola has since created a petition calling for Braasch to be removed from the Yale campus.

Grabbing Coffee While Black

ENTITY shares information on racism today.

Photo via Instagram / @rahnytaylor

The manager of a Starbucks in Philadelphia called the police on two black men- Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson- for waiting for their friend in the store without purchasing anything. Since the incident, the two young men involved took a symbolic settlement of $1 for the promise of a pilot program for young entrepreneurs.

Although this seemed like a step in the right direction, Starbucks was recently in another racist scandal when a barista put “Beaner” on the cup of a Latino man in Los Angeles.

In regards to the original Starbucks scandal, the chain closed their stores for a racial bias training that took place on May 29th and introduced a policy that allows people to use their facilities and sit in their cafes without purchasing anything.

Having a Cookout While Black

ENTITY shares information on racism today.

Photo via Instagram / @sheniqimages

It seems like barbecuing while black has officially been added to the evergrowing “do not do” list.  An Oakland woman, who the internet has taken to calling “BBQ Becky”, recently called the police on a Black family for having a cookout at Lake Merritt. Jennifer Schulte was caught on tape calling the police because a family BBQing did not use the appropriate grill.

The unfortunate situation has produced many memes mocking the absurdity of the situation. Additionally, people flocked to the same park that the incident took place on days later to hold a massive barbecue as a protest to the ridiculous racially-charged response.

Speaking Spanish 

A New York lawyer, Aaron Schlossberg, was caught yelling at Spanish-speaking customers and employees at a restaurant in New York.  In the video, you can hear Schlossberg say “they should be speaking English. This is America!” Since his outburst, Schlossberg was evicted from his office space and has been recorded running away from media outlets. More recently, Schlossberg has released an apology statement on his twitter stating “I see my words and actions hurt people … I am not racist.”

But people are not buying into his apology. Twitter users have taken to the platform to express the insincerity of his apology.  Previously, a GoFundMe page titled “Mariachis For Aaron Schlossberg” doubled its $500 goal and organized a demonstration outside of Schlossberg’s home where over 100 people gathered to listen to a mariachi band and eat tacos.

Ultimately, the responses to these ridiculous acts of racism today show us the potential of a diverse community of people. Responding in mocking fashions with memes is a healthy way to protest racism. Coming together as a unified collective with public gatherings that proudly express varying cultures, people are employing ways to show a sense of togetherness and human compassion. This is the energy that we will continue to use as we face other cases.

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