When we first encountered the “Karen” phenomenon – a term for white people who call police over even the tiniest of details, such as their food or body odor – we thought it was humorous. But then Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter’s resurgence gave it a deeper significance.
Amy Cooper
In 2015, a video went viral of Amy Cooper calling the police on Christian Cooper – a Black birdwatcher in NYC’s Central Park. This incident became an iconic talking point among social media users and brought awareness of the “Karen phenomenon” to mainstream level.
Since that incident, numerous instances of a similar occurrence have taken place across the United States. Often these incidents involve entitled white people threatening to call police on Black people for doing something mundane.
This is a common occurrence, particularly in NYC. It can be seen as an indication of the stress many white Americans are under due to furloughs and layoffs that put them under tremendous strain.
Furthermore, there can be racial tensions in the area which may lead to feelings of frustration and anger towards their environment. This often manifests as overpolicing or systemic racism.
One factor contributing to a sense of being over-policed is the increasing visibility of Black people in America, particularly through the Black Lives Matter movement. As such, many Karens and Kens have become vocal about policing Black people – an act which is widely considered inappropriate across most parts of America.
Recently, several incidents of so-called Karens and Kens harassing or assaulting Black people have been reported in the United States. Some of these cases have been violent, and authorities are currently investigating them.
One of the most infamous arrest cases against entitled, rude and racist Karens in history is that of Amy Cooper. A White woman, Cooper was fired by her former employer Franklin Templeton–a holding company–after falsely accusing a Black bird-watcher of threatening her and calling the police in 2020.
She filed a lawsuit against her former employer for defamation, alleging it illegally fired her and falsely painted her as an anti-racist. A US District Judge on Wednesday rejected her claims, ruling that Franklin Templeton and its CEO Jenny Johnson did not break the law when they fired her due to her race.
Christopher Cukor
On July 4, Christopher Cukor, a white man who works as an executive for YouTube according to his LinkedIn profile, was recorded calling the police on Wesly Michel, a black man, in front of his son. The video of this incident went viral online with more than one million views.
Cukor is seen calling Michel and accusing him of trespassing on his apartment building’s property. They exchanged verbal jabs as their children tried to convince them to leave. After some time has passed, Michel’s friend appears offscreen and asks Cukor to ‘hold the door here for you while you call your friend’.
On July 4th, Michel shared a video taken outside her condo on Van Ness Avenue and Washington Street in San Francisco that was posted to Facebook by Cukor. On Monday morning, July 5th, the man who called police on her apologized via Medium for what transpired.
He recounted the story of how he developed paranoia about trespassers, drawing upon his father’s death in 2012 by a mentally ill black man who was off his medication and causing trouble at their home. This incident had its roots in him, and it’s important for him to remember that police may not always respond to requests made by black people.
After his father’s murder by a black man, he promised that he would change his behavior. That was the last thing on his mind as it had been his intention not to harm anyone.
However, this incident is not the first time a white person has called the police on an African American for doing something they believed to be normal. There are numerous documented instances of people of color being harassed by white individuals for taking part in seemingly harmless activities like swimming at public pools or hosting barbecues at their home.
In the case of Cukor, his family filed a lawsuit against the city of Berkeley in 2012 for alleged wrongdoing regarding his call to a non-emergency number. As part of its response system upgrade that night during an Occupy Oakland march, Berkeley agreed to make changes.
Bitsy Brennan
Recently, a mother and son duo from Nashville were accused of racially profiling and assaulting a Black man while he was checking car permits at his parking garage. Video of the encounter went viral, leading to charges being laid against both women.
According to social media posts by Johnny Martinez, Edward Brennan and his mother Bitsy were seen harassing Johnny Martinez while he worked in the River House apartment complex’s parking lot. They demanded to see his ID and threatened to call the police if he didn’t cooperate, according to posts on their respective platforms.
Ultimately, the video shows Brennan attempting to sucker punch Martinez. When Martinez asks her to leave, she fabricates an account of what occurred and calls the police.
After Martinez captured the entire encounter on camera, it quickly went viral. To cover any legal costs that might arise should the mother-on-duo decide to pursue legal action against him, he set up a GoFundMe account just in case.
Karen has not been the only white woman caught on camera racially profiling or assaulting Black people, but it certainly stands as one of the most egregious examples. Videos have gone viral online, leading many white people to lose their jobs, face legal problems or become embroiled in public shaming campaigns.
On Saturday, November 27th, this unruly mother-on-duo was accused of racially profiling and harassing a black parking permit auditor for simply doing his job, according to a police report filed by Metro PD.
Martinez said he was checking car permits for his parking garage when Brennan and her son approached him in the apartment building’s parking lot. As they followed him around, they demanded to see his ID and threatened to call the cops.
After telling them to leave his building, Brennan attempted to sucker punch him again while Martinez recorded everything on his phone. While waiting for police to arrive, Karen Tag Team left without him.
Bitsy has since been served an arrest warrant for assault, and as a result she has lost her job as an investment broker at UBS – where she had worked since 2007.
Miya Ponsetto
Ponsetto, who went by “SoHo Karen” after a video of her attacking Keyon Harrold’s 14-year-old son went viral, has just been sentenced to probation and counseling. Additionally, she must live a law-abiding lifestyle for the next two years.
Sharen Ghatan, Ponsetto’s lawyer, acknowledged her client is currently ‘fragile’ and has been receiving threats. When the time is right to address the controversy publicly, however, she ‘isn’t quite ready’ to do so at present.
Last week, a 22-year-old California woman was arrested after she reportedly resisted officers and attempted to slam her car door on an officer’s leg. She faces numerous charges in relation to the incident at a NYC hotel, including attempted robbery and resisting arrest.
At court, she was also ordered to undergo a psych exam. According to TMZ, her lawyer informed prosecutors that she has struggled with anger management issues and “control issues.” She will return for another hearing in January.
In September, she was sentenced to 3 years of probation after she pled no contest to a hate crime charge and agreed to undergo therapy. It’s important to note that the prosecutor in this case had difficulty finding any evidence of wrongdoing.
Five days after her sentencing hearing in New York City, Ponsetto has been arrested again in California for a second DUI offense. Her attorney tells TMZ she has received threats and has gone ‘off the grid.’
Karen Harrold has made a series of arrests and legal troubles since being caught on video attacking an African-American teenager. Recently, his dad Keyon Harrold Sr. shared his story in hopes of bringing attention to the case and reinvigorating calls for justice.
At the Arlo SoHo hotel in NYC, Harrold was staying with his family. A video has since circulated showing Ponsetto screaming at and tackling him in the lobby. She falsely accused him of stealing her iPhone; however, she later recanted this claim, stating that it had been returned to her minutes after being assaulted.
