A Black man was at a grocery store in Solon, Ohio, in suburban Cleveland when a racist Karen called 911 because she thought he was acting strangely.
What We Know:
- According to Atlanta Black Star, the unnamed woman allegedly called 911 on Philip Evans, 35, because she believed he was acting strangely as he was putting grocery bags inside his car.
- Philip Evans, 35, was at the Solon Giant Eagle supermarket on Sept. 18 when he realized a white woman was pointing her phone at him.
- Evans asked himself at that moment as he retold the events to Cleveland 19 News, “Is this lady following me?”
- In her 911 call, the woman states to the 911 dispatcher that there was a Black man “looking around” while putting groceries into a “brand-new SUV Infinity,” and that he was “acting real funny”. The woman also mentions in the call, “she hopes they get him”.
- As Evans talked to the station about his thoughts after hearing the 911 recorded audio, he stated he didn’t do anything wrong and wondered what she wanted them to get him for.
- The woman stated she assumed the car might have been stolen since there were no visible license plates. The woman took it upon herself to follow Evans in her vehicle as he left the parking lot.
- Evans mentioned that as he looked in his rearview mirror and saw the same car behind him, he thought if the lady had a problem with him. He also thinks the woman racially profiled him because he was a black man driving a beautiful car.
- Just a few moments later, police pulled Evans over. The officer told Evans to move his temporary plate, which was in the back window, to a more visible spot. He mentioned that the officer’s interaction went smoothly, but he knows it could have been much worse.
He said people shouldn’t act on their prejudices or judge people based on their skin color.
