One Call Away: 911 Abuse as a Weapon Against Minorities

Abstract

The phenomenon of white people calling the cops on minorities in non-emergency situations has become common place. Many citizens have shared their outrage that law enforcement is called on people as a basis of racial discrimination. Many white citizens who have made false reports on minorities have yet to be sanctioned for their clear misuse of emergency
response personnel. Instead, cops who respond to the false claim often act as mediators between the disputing parties, or they try to assure the white individual that the black party is of no threat. This act of calling 911 to make a false report of danger or threat intrudes on the black party’s privacy and could lead to potentially dangerous situations.