By Benyamin Davidsons
On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy signed a new law protecting people of color from 911 callers making false police reports, or harassment or intimidation towards people of color in New Jersey. As reported by the NY Post, the bill will make it a bias crime to make bogus or defamatory police reports used as a form of racial or bias intimidation. “Using the threat of a 9-1-1 call or police report as an intimidation tactic against people of color is an unacceptable, abhorrent form of discrimination,” Murphy said in a statement. “This irresponsible misuse of our 9-1-1 system places victims in a potentially dangerous situation, and can erode trust between Black and Brown New Jerseyans and law enforcement.”
The new law amending the current legislation about creating false alarm, comes after a black couple in Montclair said a neighbor harassed them threatening to call the cops. As reported by NJ.com, in late June the couple, Fareed and Norrinda Hayat, were insistently questioned by their white neighbors about whether they had a proper permit to install a stone patio. The couple said the neighbor then falsely told police that she was assaulted, even though she had gone on their property three times in less than an hour to question them about the permit. The incident was caught on video, and circulated on Facebook.
“Not only is falsely calling 911 a form of intimidation against people of color that places its victims in danger, it interferes with 911 emergency operators trying to save lives and puts law enforcement at risk,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. “This law demonstrates New Jersey takes addressing racial bias incidents seriously.”
Other incidents have been reported with people calling the police on black persons in the way of discrimination. In NYC, a white woman was charged in July after she called 911 on a colored birdwatcher who told her to put her dog on a leash in Central Park. A video went viral of her frantically calling the police on the man claiming that he was threatening her and her dog.
“We have seen, time and time again, the immense physical and emotional impact of weaponizing the police against Black and brown individuals. No one should fear having the police called on them simply because they are walking their dog, barbequing with friends or asking a fellow New Yorker to follow the law,” said Democratic State Senator Shirley Turner.