Internet explodes with #CrimingWhileWhite hashtag
theGRIO REPORT - As racial tensions rise around the country after neither officer involved in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner was indicted by a grand jury, Twitter has responded with a kind of self-aware white privilege.
As racial tensions rise around the country after neither officer involved in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner was indicted by a grand jury, Twitter responded Wednesday night with a kind of self-aware white privilege.
The hashtag, #CrimingWhileWhite, has been used not only by white users acknowledging they’ve gotten away with crimes, but also by users pointing out the difference in punishments between high-profile crimes of white celebrities and Wall Street-type tycoons and black celebrities.
Several Twitter users in the tag also shared stories of their own encounters with police and how their stories differed from those told by African-American members of the community. From CEOs to teenagers with DUIs, #CrimingWhileWhite is shedding a light on just how differently the justice system serves its communities of different races.
Thursday, #AliveWhileBlack began trending on Twitter. Black men and women began sharing their experiences of police harassment accompanied by the hashtag.