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.
The most important word is person, black, yellow o white all of them are human
It's already a crime to file a false police report and, unlike your racist headline, it is for ALL people.
Can't the people calling be done for wasting police time?
living in a ceSs pot of grime in humane stds of living drugs drug enhanced parania etc I big dial 911 crash big tyme
Isn’t it called “Falsely Reporting a Crime”?🤔
Making stupid 911 calls is already against the law
It should be a national law.
Black gay actors not included, isn't it already illegal to make false police reports?
Impossibly stupid article. “911 is for people who think there’s harm’.” Then “we need this law because a white lady thought she heard gunshots at a black family’s home.” Wtf?
the racial stuff is getting old. people need to start acting respectable and then they will be respected, goes for all colors. Remember Dr. King?
So now I I call 911 and ask the Police to stop by McDonald's for a Happy Meal then over to Pizza Hut for a large cheese on the way and have them deliver to my house before they investigate a noise complaint, that would be against the rules? Should I call an ambulance instead.
More cities need to pass this!
I’m going to take a wild guess and say using 911 for non-emergencies is already illegal.
Wasting EMT time should be cited and fines levied.
Call 311 non emergency
That shouldn’t even have to be discussed
Every city should have that law.
Good. I hope a huge fine goes with it.
So can people of color call 911 on people of color? Ever listen to the Chicago Police scanner? It’s mostly people of color calling 911 on people of color. People of color policing people of color in Chicago should work out good.
Pathetic, that you need a law to prevent this.
It should be illegal to call 911 on people of colour altogether
Good it’s a waste of time and resources. Not to mention it leads to a lot of these so called “justified” shootings of POC.
So-called 'people of color' don't fit that universally accepted profile of a usual suspect. Just black folks like ... Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, James Byrd, Trayvon Martin etc. All lives don't always matter. Law reliably unreliable.
Good !!
THtas unconstitunal BarackObama N!5536 = donttzaemebro NODISSUMATING
Wouldn’t be that hard since most of them hang around crying and being filmed.
Should be a federal law
Good. More cities should follow suit.
It's already illegal...
BUT Then you would have to look at ala of the other races first answer to even get that profile ITS CALLED ALWA AND TAHAT YOUOWULD GO ABOUT IT LIEK A AMHINE APALICATOIN THAT IWOULD SELEL OUT TO ALLOFYOUR EMEIENS BEUCSEYOUMAD EEVRYBODY ATHWAA SAGINSTA NI!5536 BarackObama = get
So if living their lives is being a criminal the dint du nuffin crowd will cry
Or you could always enforce the laws against giving false police reports, or certainly it amounts to being a hate crime, hoping the police will do the Dirty work.
Ok if they’re evil white people?
Biased Police calls are illegal, it's called a false report.. another law would be creating discrimination. If you do this, you are no longer part of America.
or poolside paula.
Thank you
It's a good idea in principle, so long as it doesn't discourage anyone from calling 911 for calls that truly are emergencies. I mean, sure, if it's obviously a call about living while black, then punish the racist little shits.
if you call the cops for a non-crime, or because you got scared, or just because you saw people that you didn't recognize and they scared you, that is the job of the police. Should be no big deal for the cops to take a quiet lot. the problem is that we have such shitty, bad cops
Eh...yeah, I can definitely see how it would be tough. At the very least it would probably require a full testimony under oath or something to confirm, which would just be insulting and inconvenient. Still, the idea of fuckwits who make those calls getting fined has an appeal...
This will work out well
But I guess it's ok to use 911 to report people quietly exercising their white privilege in a peaceful, non-threatening manner?
I dont think you can legislate good judgment.
Calling 911 falsely accusing someone of anything should resort in a punishment.
So when they are robbing, murdering, and assaulting people is that considered 'living their lives'.
About time.
Good. The world needs fewer BBQ Beckies. 911 is not customer service for white people.