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Viral TikTok video of Texas White man 'casually' calling cops on Black youth over social distancing sparks fury

The Black man had reportedly asked the White man to maintain social distance when he decided to call the cops

A TikTok video showing a man calling the police on a Black man at a store in Denton, Texas, for no apparent reason, has been doing the rounds on social media. A White man is seen calmly talking to the police as he complains over the phone about an apparent breach in personal space.

Posted to TikTok by user @yft_kel, the video is captioned: "This is what racism in Denton, TX looks like." One can see the young man standing in line at a store with a White man behind him on the phone. The young man says he asked the man, referring to him as "John", to back up in order to maintain social distance. Then he said that John felt he was too aggressive in his request and decided to call the police. 

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"He called the cops and said I was stating an altercation and being aggressive," he can be seen saying in the video. As he is talking to the police over the phone, the White man says when they arrive he wants the video removed from the young man's phone as it is an "environment on my privacy". "Y'all heard it, man; a smart man," the TikToker then says looking at the camera. "He said I'm wearing blue pants and black jeans," the TikToker said before giggling. In the video, the White man can be seen trying to cover his face with his cap as he makes the phone call.

You can watch the video shared by Twitter user @davenewworld_2. "Racist in Texas calls the police on a Black gentleman for no reason," he shared. 

And many users on social media are now sharing the video. "Northern Texas is full of in yo face racism. Denton white folks is known for this type of behavior," one said. "I traveled through there in 1997 and there was a huge sign entering the town that said “Don’t let the sun go down on your black ass in Denton” Frightening," another tweeted. 

Users pointed out the calmness with which the man referred to as 'John' was calling the cops in the video. Many said that it proves his entitlement and the assurance he has that he can get away with it. "Any time I have called the police (someone injured in the road, suspicious package, witness to assault/battery) I’m scared to death. I hate doing it but have done it when necessary. I can’t imagine feeling comfortable just casually calling the police on something non-urgent," a social media user tweeted. "To sum it up: "Your rights stop at where I say they stop at and I think the cops have my back on this," a user said. "He KNOWS the cops have his back that's why he is so ready to call," another concurred. 

While there were some users who pointed out that the TikToker was not wearing his mask properly, there were those who called to attention the bigger picture. "Despite the bold narration and filming, I see fear in his eyes and this fills me with rage. He deserves to be able to tell someone to back up without this legitimate fear of racist harassment getting out of control with racist cops," a user said. "If you’re focused on the young man’s mask rather than the racist behind him then you might just be a racist," another said.