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Who is Mimi Israelah? Trump supporter jokingly flashes 'white privilege' card after being pulled over, let off

A video of the incident taken by Israelah, who describes herself as a woman of Filipino ethnicity, was later reposted on Twitter

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA: Two Anchorage police officers violated department policy during a traffic stop last month when a woman in town for a rally by former President Donald Trump showed them a “white privilege card” instead of a driver’s license and was not ticketed. However, it’s not clear what policy was violated or what disciplinary actions the two officers faced, if any because the department is treating it as a confidential personnel matter, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

In a 'now-deleted' Facebook post, Mimi Israelah said that she was pulled over for weaving at 3:43 am on July 9 while driving to a pizzeria in Anchorage after arriving on an early-morning flight from California for Trump’s rally. She couldn’t find her driver’s license, she wrote on that same post. “When I saw my White Privilege card, I gave to him if it’s ok,” she wrote. “He laughed and called his partner. It’s their first time to see a White Privileged card,” she said. The top of the novelty card read, “White Privilege Card Trumps Everything.”

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Israelah describes herself as Pinay, a woman of Filipino ethnicity, in her Twitter bio. A video apparently taken by Israelah of the encounter has been reposted on Twitter. Two officers are seen standing outside her car window. She asks one, “You like my White Privilege card?” One officer says, “That’s hilarious.” Anchorage police officers identified in the incident were Nicholas Bowe and Charles Worland.

Deputy Chief Sean Case said some people who saw the post had negative reactions to it, and believed it was inappropriate. “We recognize that,” he said. Anchorage municipal code requires that all drivers carry their license at all times when operating a vehicle. Police spokesperson Sunny Guerin told The Associated Press that police can do a computer check to determine if a person has a valid driver’s license. Police Sgt Jeremy Conkling, president of the police union, said officers have discretion and generally don’t write citations for minor offenses, like not having a physical license present.

“Especially in this circumstance, where you had a very, very low-level minor offense and the officers are really just focused on trying to find DUIs – I’m not at all surprised they didn’t write a citation. I don’t know that a lot of officers would have written that citation, if any,” Conkling said, according to the same news outlet. Vice reported that just four days after Israelah’s traffic stop went viral, department Police Chief Michael Kerle released a statement addressing concerns about officers following internal standards and maintaining “a positive relationship with our community.” 

“I am aware that the action of one officer can impact the trust between the police force and our community,” he said. “I know we are all human. But we belong to a profession that does not tolerate, practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination. This profession requires our employees to treat everyone with respect and be culturally aware and competent.” 

Celeste Hodge Growden, president of the Alaska Black Caucus, said she wonders if the lack of citation was tied to the novelty card. “This photo texted to me recently is totally unacceptable,” she wrote on Facebook.  “There needs to be immediate consequences that sends a clear corrective message.”

Worland and Bowe were placed on administrative during the 11-day investigation, Case said. Police would not provide additional information about the internal investigation, including which policies were violated and what, if any, repercussions the officers faced. “The investigation regarding the incident is completed and is a part of confidential personnel files that will not be released publicly,” Guerin said. Another police spokesperson said both officers remain employed by the department. Hodge Growden said she wants the police department to accept accountability for what happened and be transparent about any disciplinary actions the officers faced. This could have been a teachable moment, she said.