Shoveling while Black: Cops called on Black man for clearing sidewalk
Matthew Chapman
February 24, 2023
Photo by Filip Mroz on Unsplash
A viral Tiktok video shows a woman calling the police on a Black man for clearing the snow on the sidewalk running near her property, reported The Daily Beast on Friday.
"Gregory McAdory, who uploaded the video to TikTok on Feb. 18, said in an interview with The Daily Beast that he and his friend have a snow removal business in Rockford, Illinois," reported Brooke Leigh Howard. "He explained that on Feb. 17 they finished clearing his friend’s father’s driveway, then moved onto the sidewalk in front of the neighbor’s house. That’s when the neighbor came out and 'bugged' up on them, threatening to call the police, he said. 'When the police is called on people of my color, just to be on the safe side, I just say, ‘Record,' McAdory said."
In the video, the woman, who identified herself as "Brunny," said, “Don’t trespass that line! I don’t need anything from you!” before moving to call the police. McAdory explained he was there to shovel for her neighbor. She said, "That's trespassing property."
"It's a public sidewalk!" McAdory responded. "Get out of my way," the woman replied.
On the phone call with police, which Rockford officers confirmed was lodged with them at half past noon on February 17, she can be heard saying, “These two guys are African American, and I don’t get along with them. …They are making fun of me. See, they don’t have no respect!”
Incidents of people calling the police on Black people minding their own business have gained sharper attention in recent years, spurred by the 2018 incident in a Oakland, California park involving a woman who became known to the internet as " BBQ Becky," and Amy Cooper, the New York City woman who became infamous for calling the police on a Black man who asked her to put her dog on a leash. One white woman in Memphis, Tennessee called the cops on a Black real estate investor fixing up a home in the neighborhood. A bank in Ohio even called the police on a Black customer because they were suspicious of how large his paycheck was.
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