"You’re scared. You’re white. But with cell phone, cameras, and social media, calling 911 on your Black or brown neighbors just isn’t what it used to be."
October 22, 2018

Something decent from the New York Times for a change, via Niecy Nash.

"You’re scared. You’re white. But with cell phone, cameras, and social media, calling 911 on your Black or brown neighbors just isn’t what it used to be."

Source: New York Times

In this satirical infomercial, the comedian and actress Niecy Nash plays the inventor of a new hotline, 1-844-WYT-FEAR. The video advertises a phone service for white people to call when they can’t cope with black people living their lives near them. The hotline is up and running, so give it a ring and spread the word. (Seriously.)

The phenomenon of white people harassing African-Americans going about their day is nothing new, but with the ubiquity of smartphones and social media, everyone can now see how these injustices are played out and lead to anxiety for and material harm to people of color. And this problem is bigger than a few unreasonable white people. Racist stereotypes are baked into our society.

Has someone called the cops on you when you were doing nothing wrong? Email your story or video to The New York Times Opinion Video team at 844WYTFEAR@nytimes.com.

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