San Francisco Lawmaker Proposes The ‘CAREN Act’ To Stop Discriminatory 911 Calls
A San Francisco lawmaker is proposing legislation called the “CAREN Act” which will punish people who call 911 on nonwhite people for discriminatory reasons.
RELATED: UPDATE: SoCal “Karen” Arrested For Misdemeanor Battery
On Tuesday, Shamann Walton, a member of the San Francisco board of supervisors, tweeted Tuesday. Racist 911 calls are unacceptable that’s why I’m introducing the CAREN Act at today’s SF Board of Supervisors meeting. This is the CAREN we need. Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies. #CARENact #sanfrancisco. The San Francisco Chronicle cited the draft law which said,
The “Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies” Act (CAREN), “will make it unlawful for an individual to contact law enforcement solely to discriminate on the basis of a person’s race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
As KTVU notes, the ordinance is similar to state Assemblymember Rob Banta’s Assembly Bill 1550, which also calls for consequences for those who call 911 based on biases toward race, class, outward appearance, and religion.
As we previously reported, the name ‘Karen’ became a popular label for people who have called 911 with racist intentions. Many of the incidents have been captured on cellphone video and gone viral. Some “Karens” have been charged for their false reports while others have been fired from their jobs.
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