CAREN Act introduced in San Francisco to outlaw racially motivated 911 calls
A San Francisco lawmaker on Tuesday introduced an ordinance to outlaw racially motivated 911 calls. Under the CAREN Act, people who call law enforcement based on racial bias could face criminal charges, CBS San Francisco reported.
San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton introduced the ordinance, which stands for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies Act. It comes after the name "Karen" has become a popular term to describe white women who engage in racist behavior.
"Racist 911 calls are unacceptable that's why I'm introducing the CAREN Act at today's SF Board of Supervisors meeting," Walton tweeted on Tuesday. "This is the CAREN we need."
Racist 911 calls are unacceptable that's why I'm introducing the CAREN Act at today’s SF Board of Supervisors meeting. This is the CAREN we need. Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies. #CARENact #sanfrancisco
— Shamann Walton (@shamannwalton) July 7, 2020
Wilson said this measure and a similar one introduced by Assemblymember Rob Banta "are part of a larger nationwide movement to address racial biases and implement consequences for weaponizing emergency resources with racist intentions."
Banta, a Democrat from Oakland, introduced Assembly Bill 1550, which also calls for consequences for those who call 911 based on biases toward race, class, outward appearance and religion, according to CBS San Francisco. Lawmakers in New York, Oregon and Washington have introduced similar bills.
This year, as the fight against racial injustice and police brutality has been reignited nationwide, several racially-charged acts have been caught on camera, including a white woman named Amy Cooper who called police on a Black man in New York's Central Park after he asked her to leash her dog.
She claimed she was being threatened by a man named Christian Cooper, who filmed the incident. She later apologized and now faces charges for filing a false police report.