In New Jersey, it is now an offense to make a 911 call to report someone based on race or ethnicity, gender, or any other shielded group.
What We Know:
- Gov. Murphy stated this bill is meant to prohibit 911 from intimidating or harassing people of color and other individuals who may be discriminated against.
- This is due to past incidents in New York and New Jersey, where white women call 911 with false allegations and utilize police officers as a form of bias intimidation.
- New Jersey State Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, a principal patron of the bill, whom Governor Phil Murphy signed into law earlier this week, stated someone could get seriously hurt due to false allegations.
- In late June, a Black Montclair couple was harassed by a white woman who was their neighbor when being questioned whether or not they had a proper permit to install a patio.
- Fareed Nassor Hayat stated their neighbor, a white woman,falsely told police that he pushed her after the lady was clearly seen on this couple’s property three times in 30 minutes, harassing and questioning him about such a permit; witnesses were heard saying that never occurred.
- Another incident happened at Central Park in May when a white woman called 911 on a black man who was bird watching after he asked the woman to put a leash on her dog in that specific area of the park where leashes are mandated. That woman named Amy Cooper, who stated “an African American man was threatening her,” was charged with falsely reporting a crime and also got fired from her job.
- Attorney General Gurbir Grewal states not only calling 911 based on a false claim is a form of terrorization against people of color that places victims in danger, but it also obstructs with 911 emergency dispatchers trying to save lives and puts law enforcement at risk. He went on to say this law demonstrates New Jersey takes addressing racial bias incidents seriously.
Anyone charged under this new law could face fines and would have a criminal record.
