#CrimingWhileWhite Showcasing Racial Inequality In Police Tactics
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- Confessions are trending on social media Thursday night as users share crimes they say they were given just a slap on the wrist because of their race.
Protests over the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers spread across the country following grand jury decisions not to indict the officers involved in two of those recent deaths, and outrage over racial injustice spread on social networks.
Here are just a few examples of crimes users say they got away with while #CrimingWhileWhite:
At a protest in Oakland Thursday night, Denmark Woodgate was astonished by the frankness of the tweets on a subject considered taboo by most people.
"It was awesome. It was like validation," Woodgate said as he protested.
Other protesters say the hashtag has opened up an important discussion about law and white privilege.
"I think it came from good intention to try to bring light to the discrepancies of how police treat different races in this country," protester Spencer Wilkinson said.
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There is data to back up the claims of unequal treatment.
A 2012 National Institute on Drugs study found that white high schoolers were more likely to use illegal drugs, but black high school students were twice as likely to be arrested on drug charges.
A Department of Justice study found evidence that black drivers are twice as likely to be threatened with force during a traffic stop as whites or Hispanics.
"It's completely obvious that white privilege exists," protester Ben Lynch said.