Low perceived-threat thresholds combine with anonymity to trigger bias accusations

Evidence

The combination of a low bar for perceived threat and anonymity might lead Whites to make calls that are perceived to be made for no other reason than racial discrimination. One recent example of such a call that gained widespread attention from the media is that of “Barbeque Becky,” a White woman who called the police to report a Black family for having a barbeque in an area that she believed was not suitable for charcoal grills. In this case, the transcript of the phone call between the woman and the dispatchers has been made public: “I’d like to report that someone is illegally using a charcoal grill in a non-designated area in Lake Merritt Park near Cleveland Cascade. I’d like it dealt with immediately so that coals don’t burn more children and we have to pay more taxes” (Handson, 2018). Clearly the Black family reported on was not perceived as a real threat, as the woman’s explanation for calling does not seem to describe an actual imminent danger. Thus, public outcry ensued, with accusations of racial bias on behalf of the caller. — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law, 270

Categorization

• SEED: An angle: the ‘Barbeque Becky’ genre shows bias accusations hinge on whether an act reads as self-declared real threat versus pretext; a piece could taxonomize how callers’ own stated rationales convict them in the transcript.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Joseph Avery, Jim Sidanius, Joel Cooper, Gregory Davis, Amanda N., Bias in the Law: A Definitive Look at…, 270