New York Senator proposes bill to make calling 911 on innocent black people a hate crime
A New York State Senator has proposed a bill, which would make calling 911 or police on innocent black people a crime, according to reports. The proposal from Sen. Jesse Hamilton came after a self-described supporter of President Donald Trump called the cops on him while he was campaigning on the street. Hamilton, who is a Democrat and represents the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville, Crown Heights, and Flatbush, said that he was speaking with voters in his district earlier this month when an unidentified woman called the cops on him for no reason.
The woman, in an exchange which was captured on camera, said: "I support Trump, and I see the difference between Democrat and Republican — and I see the difference between you and Trump." She then condemned Hamilton for giving out pamphlets about "fighting back" against President Donald Trump.
The Senator then added that the woman called 911 and police arrived at the scene. The cops then "patiently explained to the woman that Hamilton had done nothing illegal," according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
Nearly a week after the incident, Hamilton held a press conference at the same location where the unidentified woman had called the cops on him and announced his bill proposal. He said that he is set to introduce a bill which would criminalize 911 calls against people of color if there is no evidence of any wrongdoing, according to the HuffPost.
Hamilton, while talking to The Prospect Heights Patch, said: "That’s gonna be a hate crime. This pattern of calling the police on black people going about their business and participating in the life of our country has to stop." Hamilton, who is up for re-election, has a tough race ahead of him on September 13 Democratic primary said that his proposed legislation would help in strengthening laws which prohibit people from making false reports.
The United States is increasingly witnessing cases of racial profiling of black and other people of minority communities in the country by its white citizens over trivial matters and slightest of disagreements. The incidents include police being called on a black Yale student for sleeping in a dormitory and another where a white woman called the cops on a black family enjoying a barbecue.
Hamilton, during the press conference on Wednesday last week, said: "People of color should be able to wait for a friend at a coffee shop in peace. That’s not an emergency at a Philadelphia Starbucks for 911. Oregon lawmaker Janelle Bynum’s knocking on doors in July and my handing out literature at this subway stop last week were not emergencies," he said. "These 911 calls are more than frivolous. These 911 calls amount to more than just a waste of police time and resources. These 911 calls are acts of intimidation."
"Living while black is not a crime. But making a false report, especially motivated by hate, should be. Our laws should recognize that false reports with hateful intent can have deadly consequences," Hamilton told The Daily Eagle.