(LibertySociety.com) – Last week, media outlets exploded with the news about an incident between a white woman and a group of black men. The incident took place in New York City on May 12th. A six-month pregnant physician’s assistant coming off a 12 hour shift was trying to take a CitiBike from its docking station. The video starts mid-confrontation as we see her trying to pull the bike free from the grip of a young black man, his friends encircle the two and the young men pull at the bike, saying the bike “is his.” However, her lawyer is saying that wasn’t the case.
At one point, she seems to start crying. One of the men points at her and says “stop fake crying,” and they insist she is attempting to take the bike from the young man. In very short order, the video spread across social media and has now been seen millions of times. The media and influencers labeled the woman as a “Karen,” which is a derogatory term for white women of a certain age who displays dissatisfaction in a way that’s perceived as unreasonable. She was also demeaned as a thief, while Twitter influencer Tariq Nasheed called her a “suspected white supremacist.” After the incident, her employer, NY’s Bellevue Hospital placed her on leave.
Within a day, the woman’s lawyer said he had receipts showing that she was the rightful renter of that Citi Bike. The receipt reportedly shows the bike identification number which can be seen on the video and matches the bike in dispute. Per the CitiBike agreement, should someone rent a bike and not return it within 24 hours, that person will be charged $1,200 for that bicycle. The woman’s lawyer said he is also planning defamation lawsuits once matters with her employer are settled.
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