existing while black
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Arizona Man Arrested After Being Caught on Camera Telling Black Man He’s in a ‘No N-Word Zone’
Having lived in Arizona for the last 17 years, I can safely testify that Scottsdale is the fucking worst. I’m currently apartment hunting and I haven’t even looked in Scottsdale because it’s, empirically, The Worst™. Think I’m being hyperbolic? Well, a Scottsdale man was arrested this weekend after telling a Black man he was in…
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After Arrest of Black Teenager, 1 Lousiana Officer Placed on Leave and 2 Others Removed From Duty
In Louisiana, an investigation has been launched into three officers involved in the arrest of two Black teenagers outside of a Lafayette bowling alley. CNN reports that last Saturday, 16-year-old twins Jabari and Gerard Celestine were waiting outside to enter the Arcadia Lanes bowling alley when three Lafayette police officers, responding to a call about…
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#LeavingYourApartmentWhileBlack: White Woman Refuses to Allow Black Teen to Leave Her Own Apartment Building
In today’s edition of #ExistingWhileBlack, we learn that something as innocuous as leaving your apartment building is grounds for being harassed and accused of engaging in criminal behavior. On Friday, Daily Dot reports that high school junior Taheera Rashad was minding her black-ass business while leaving her apartment when this happened: In the minute-long video,…
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#ShoppingWhileBlack: Indiana Officer Fired After Harassing Shoppers for 'Acting Suspicious'
Deputy constable Daryl Jones has been fired after a viral video surfaced in which he was seen harassing a pair of black men in a parking lot for—you guessed it—“acting suspicious.” From NBC News: In the video posted to YouTube on Nov. 13, the description says the two men first noticed the officer watching them…
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#GrievingWhileBlack: Family Demands Apology After West Memphis, Ark., Police Handcuff Grieving Mother
Far too often, police force black people to audition for their humanity. This is one of those times. According to writer and digital strategist Richard Brookshire, his family is owed an apology after a traumatic confrontation with the West Memphis Police Department that resulted in his sister being handcuffed. On Saturday, Brookshire’s four-year-old niece was…
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#EatingASandwichWhileBlack: Commuters Hold Protest After Cop Detains Black Man for 'Illegally Eating' at BART Station
Over the weekend, I heard rumblings of a black man being harassed by police over a sandwich and thought, “If he ate at Subway, it might be warranted.” But after doing a bit of research, it’s clearly the latest example of overzealous police doing entirely too damn much. As the story goes, Steve Foster of…
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#FundraisingWhileBlack: White Woman Pulls Gun on Black Teenagers Raising Money for Their Football Team
Well, hello there! In today’s edition of #ExistingWhileBlack, we have a despicable human being named Jerri Kelly, who pulled a gun on a group of black teenagers whose only crime was raising money for their high school football team. ABC News has the scoop: The wife of an Arkansas jail administrator was arrested and charged…
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#LookingWhileBlack: Police Stop, Question Black Man for ‘Looking Suspiciously’ at a White Woman
In what serves as the latest example of #ExistingWhileBlack, I present 20-year-old Devin Meyers, who was stopped by police for—wait for it—“looking suspiciously” at a white woman. No, really. Have you ever seen a white woman in public? They do a lot of suspicious shit. But regardless, according to the Daily Dot, police in Royal…