An Ohio man who had the cops called on him for “shopping while Black” is speaking out after being targeted by a racist Karen at a grocery store in a Cleveland suburb.
The unidentified woman reportedly called 911 on Philip Evans, 35, because she thought he was acting strangely while putting grocery bags inside his car, Atlanta Black Star reports.
Evans had been shopping at the Solon Giant Eagle supermarket on Sept. 18 when he noticed a strange white woman filming him with her cell phone. .
“I’m like, ‘Is this lady videoing me?’” Evans asked, recounting the incident to Cleveland 19 News.
Read More: White Ohio police chief explains BLM support: ‘We have to listen to people’
In her 911 call, the woman explained to the operator that there was a Black man “looking around” while loading groceries into a “brand-new SUV Infinity,” and that he was “acting real funny.”
The woman said she assumed the car might be stolen since it lacked license plates. So she decided to follow Evans in her own vehicle as he left the parking lot.
“I look in my rearview, and I see the same car behind me. I’m like, ‘OK, does this lady have a problem with me?’” Evans said, noting that the incident is a clear example of racial profiling.
Police ultimately caught up with Evans and instructed him to put his temporary license plate to a more visible spot.
“It’s a scary thought thinking I wasn’t gonna make it home to my kids,” he said of the encounter with police.
Read More: Ohio Democratic Rep. Kennedy Kent endorses Trump
“I hope you get him,” the woman said during her 911 call.
“What does she want them to get me for? She didn’t see me do anything wrong,” Evans told reporters aftering listening to the 911 call.
Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump said of the incident, “This racist woman HARASSED Philip Evans, an innocent Black man, because he “looked funny” while grocery shopping! She told 911 “I hope you get him!” Black people have targets on our backs, even while doing normal daily activities! Another day, another #WhileBlack incident,” he tweeted.
Several Twitter users have called for the Karen who called the cops to be charged for making a false police report.
Do you agree?
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!