Police Pepper Spray Black Teen In His Own Home Because Racist Neighbor Assumes He’s A Criminal
Just another day of racial profiling in America! This time, an 18-year-old North Carolina kid entered his own house after school and was soon met by three cops in his living room, pepper spraying him in the face. This is all thanks to people who can’t be bothered to know who their next door neighbors are, but can always remember to be suspicious of black skin.
From ABC11:
Ricky and Stacy Tyler have fostered 18-year-old DeShawn Currie for about a year. The Tylers, their three young children and DeShawn moved to Fuquay-Varina in July. They said while they’re still getting to know their neighbors, it’s hurtful someone would assume DeShawn was a burglar just for going about his normal routine of walking home after school.
Stacy Tyler left the side door of their home unlocked for DeShawn, who was coming home early from school. When a neighbor saw him, they called 911 to report a break in. All of a sudden there were three officers inside the house with DeShawn: “‘They was like, ‘Put your hands on the door,’ said DeShawn. ‘I was like, ‘For what? This is my house.’ I was like, ‘Why are y’all in here?'”
DeShawn says police pointed at pictures of his white family on the mantle as proof that he didn’t belong in the house. They started arguing, and that’s when he was pepper-sprayed in the face. Cue people saying, “You should never argue with cops!” Even when they break into your own house and accuse you of being a criminal. Just remain calm and apologize for being black.
DeShawn was pepper sprayed in his own home, because he’s black. There’s no way a neighbor would’ve batted an eye if he was a white teenager going into his house. If you think this statement is false, good for you. You’ve managed to move through the world untouched by racial profiling. That must be a nice existence.
My partner was taking a bike out of my sister’s garage a couple of month’s after we moved to Florida to go for a bike ride — she lives right across the street from us. A neighbor on her morning walk stopped him and asked him if it was “his house.” Huh? That’s none of her fucking business. It’s not the first time it’s happened here and it only happens because he’s a black man. I’ve never been stopped by “concerned neighbors” for doing anything in my sister’s yard. And I can confidently say that I never will be.
Police pointed out in their statement that the neighbor who called has recently experienced criminal activity. Are we to assume that the “criminal activity” she experienced was committed by a black man? Oh, okay. We can all understand why she would assume every black man she sees is a criminal then. Carry on, racist neighbor.
