From one white woman to another; please stop calling the police on people of color for being people of color. 

Every week, we hear a new story about someone calling the police on a person of color for no apparent reason other than because they are a person of color. The country became outraged when it learned that police arrested two African-American men at a Starbucks in Philadelphia for simply waiting to meet with someone. Soon after, a woman called the cops on two Native American boys who were touring Colorado State University, because they made her feel nervous due to their “black clothing.” 

The most recent story involving cops being called on someone for no reason is the Yale University incident. A woman called police on an African-American woman and grad student at the university who was taking  a nap in a dormitory common area. 

The issue was not her napping. It is almost a sure thing to assume that the woman calling the police had seen people nap in the common area. Being a college campus, students tend to take naps often. The issue was her assumption that the African-American woman did not belong there. The napping girl is a student and has every right to be there as the white woman calling in. 

According to Time, the victim of the situation said, “None of this is really new. None of it is shocking. Every day someone is treated with racial bias.”

There are many issues with calling the police on people of color. First and foremost, calling the police on someone for simply being a person of color is extremely racist. Assuming someone is “bad” based solely on their skin color is blatant profiling and it is extremely disheartening that this still happens in our country. 

On top of the blatant racism, police brutality is very real and calling the cops on a person of color can put their life at risk. We are constantly hearing stories about police mistreating and even killing African-Americans. 

According to an organization called Mapping Out Police Violence, African-Americans are three times more likely to be killed by police, and most people police killed in 2017 were of color. 

According to data collected from the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Report, 31 percent of all those killed by police were African-Americans. This is a ridiculously high number if you consider the fact that African-Americans only make up 13 percent of the U.S. population. Calling the police on a person of color who is simply living their life is not only wrong, it is also very dangerous for them. 

Calling the cops on someone over something that isn’t actually an issue is illegal, and it’s time we start prosecuting those who call the cops on people waiting for their friend at Starbucks, or taking a nap at their own college campus. 

America is not a “whites only” country. America is full of people with different variations of skin color, and assuming someone is dangerous or doing something illegal based solely on their skin is wrong. 

White women, if you are calling the police on someone for simply being a person of color, then you need to re-evaluate yourself to figure out why you are acting so racist. Do not waste the police’s time over your racism.