Last year LivingWhileBlack went viral. Now a city wants to make biased 911 calls illegal.
By Reis Thebault and Reis Thebault National and breaking news reporter Email Bio Follow Michael Brice-Saddler Michael Brice-Saddler General Assignment Reporter Email Bio Follow April 25 at 6:35 PM There was barbecue on the grill and music on the stereo last June at Mulick Park in southeast Grand Rapids, Mich. Another class of students had graduated high school, and celebration was in the air. But as the party wrapped up, the sight of dark-blue police squad cars sent a chill through the crowd.
Lawmakers in the western Michigan city, a liberal stronghold amid a sea of conservative voters, joined state legislators in New York and Michigan who have advocated similar laws. Its most notable feature, however, is the section on “biased crime reporting,” which would make it a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by up to a $500 fine, to call 911 on people of color and other protected classes who haven’t done anything wrong.
However, Caudill said, she doesn’t want the measure to discourage residents from calling the police if they think they’re in trouble. Some in law enforcement may see a silver lining to such a policy, which would recognize the role that bias in a community plays in how and where the police respond to alleged crimes. But, in general, researchers said this type of proposal is not popular among police.
“How will investigators of the alleged bias determine what is truly a sinister and criminal motive from a simple misunderstanding?” one resident wrote, adding the onus should fall on dispatchers, who must be able to discern a low-level report from a crime that deserves an aggressive response.
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