‘Criming While White’ and ‘Alive While Black’ Reveal America’s Racial Double Standard
Jaywalking in the middle of the street or allegedly selling individual cigarettes—in America, these are the kinds of activities that, as we have seen in the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, can get a black man killed by police. Scrolling through tweets connected to the Twitter hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite suggests that if Brown and Garner had less melanin in their skin, they’d still be alive.
Jason Ross, a writer for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, kicked off the hashtag on Wednesday afternoon when he tweeted his own criminal past—a past that did not result in his being shot (as Michael Brown was) or choked to death (as Eric Garner was) by a police officer.
At 13 I stole a car with my friends & drove it 2wks before we got busted. Only one charged was black. #CrimingWhileWhite
— Cecily Kellogg (@Cecilyk) December 4, 2014
“Busted 4 larceny at 11. At 17, cited for booze + caught w gun @ school. No one called me a thug. Can’t recommend being white highly enough,” wrote Ross. He then asked other white people to share their stories of getting away with crime because of racial privilege.
Thousands of tweets later, the unverifiable stories paint a clear picture of just how differently law enforcement officers tend to treat white Americans who commit crimes.
My terrorist group, the Weather Underground, robbed banks and killed people. Now I'm a college professor. #CrimingWhileWhite
— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) December 4, 2014
Got pulled over, cop found pot on a passenger. No one else was searched nor was the car or trunk searched. Noone arrested #CrimingWhileWhite
— Angela Huston (@Angel_h23) December 4, 2014
Party broke up, 20+ cops, weed, coke & Molly found. Underage consumption DEA came, cars searched. No one got arrested #CrimingWhileWhite
— Allison Semans (@Allison_Leann) December 4, 2014
I get the point of #CrimingWhileWhite but I think we need some counter narratives...
— Jamilah Lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) December 4, 2014
In light of the deaths of Brown and Garner, those tweeted incidents, and the countless similar ones, should raise the eyebrows of any American who cares about justice. But the sad reality is that in America black folks don’t have to commit a crime to experience harassment, abuse, or death at the hands of police officers.
Just ask the 5 million mostly black and Latino and supposedly suspicious New York City residents who experienced stop-and-frisk treatment at the hands of the NYPD. Most were found with no weapon on their person. (Mayor Bill de Blasio made reforming the controversial practice a key part of his election campaign.)
Remind yourself of the 1999 Bronx killing of Amadou Diallo, who was simply holding his wallet on the stoop of his building when NYPD officers decided to fire 41 shots simply because the immigrant father fit a description. And yes, those officers were acquitted.
Or feel free to watch the gruesome video of footage of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, the black child who was shot and killed by police on Nov. 23 while playing with a toy gun in a park in Cleveland.
That’s why in response to #CrimingWhileWhite, Ebony editor Jamilah Lemieux started the hashtag #AliveWhileBlack on Thursday.
Got cut in line at restaurant by cops in Orlando, FL. Said, "What?" and was told asking questions is how you get arrested. #AliveWhileBlack
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) December 4, 2014
Lemieux then asked her African American Twitter followers to share stories of being harassed by police while just going about their daily lives. The stories of injustice began pouring in.
Crossing the grocery store parking lot. Cops stopped to ask me what I was doing there. I was holding grocery bags. #Alivewhileblack
— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) December 4, 2014
Blindsided while riding bike & knocked unconscious. Woke up to cop questioning me. Blood streaming down face. Cop leaves. #AliveWhileBlack
— Elon James White (@elonjames) December 4, 2014
WENT TO THE PRECINCT TO REPORT MY KIDS' BIKES AS STOLEN was made to wait +1hr to be told "arent you used to being robbed"? #AliveWhileBlack
— liza (@blogdiva) December 4, 2014
Was biking home after work in DC. Pulled over by four cops. Cuffed, questioned, & was told "I fit the description." #AliveWhileBlack
— Richard White (@NTVRichardW) December 4, 2014
Being "looked up on the system" for a warrant during an early AM dog walk. In my pajamas. I looked suspicious in sweats. #alivewhileblack
— Notorious B.A.E. (@shannboogie) December 4, 2014
Some Americans may still be tempted to say that Garner and Brown were nothing but thugs and criminals, and if the two men had simply complied with the directions of police officers, they’d still be alive. But #AliveWhileBlack also shows that in the eyes of some police officers, being black is crime enough. As for the disturbing stories being shared through #CriminingWhileWhite, they reveal to us that no matter what’s going on, many white people who are doing things that are against the law tend to come through their interactions with police unscathed. If that’s not an unjust double standard worth rallying and protesting against, what is?