The CAREN Act: SF To Let People Sue Over Racist 911 Calls

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In 1955, a Black teenager named Emmett Till was beaten to death over false accusations made by a white woman. In May, a white woman in called 911 from Central Park falsely accusing a Black man of threatening her.

On Tuesday, San Francisco leaders approved legislation that would allow individuals who fall victim to such racially charged 911 calls the right to sue. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday on the Caution Against Racial and Exploitative Non-Emergencies Act Tuesday.

The CAREN legislation is a play on the name "Karen," a popular meme that depicts a middle-aged privileged white woman who sometimes demonizes people of color. Supporters hope the legislation will deter people from making false accusations or racially charged 911 calls.

Qualifying calls are those that caused an individual to feel harassed or embarrassed; cause damage to a person's reputation or forced an individual from a public space.

And these calls can also be considered discriminatory if they are made because of a person's sex, age, religion, disability, gender identity or physical appearance.

“I really want to emphasize that 911 is not a customer service line for someone's racist behavior," said Supervisor Shamann Walton, according to the Associated Press.

Walton introduced the legislation that will now give San Franciscans the right to take a wrongful 911 caller to civil court.

Gov. Gavin Newsom also recently signed legislation to prevent such calls, making any 911 call based on a person's race, religion or gender a hate crime in California.

While some have argued that the name of the legislation is discriminatory toward women and offensive to those who share the name, all 11 supervisors signed the legislation.

The board has reportedly received eight written complains about the CAREN act's name, according to the Associated Press. And several of the letters were signed by those with various spellings of the name Karen.

“Yes, I am named Karen, and I do speak up for injustices on a regular occasion,” Karen Shane wrote in a complaint. “So could we attempt at coming up with some other acronym that doesn’t vilify a whole group of people named Karen/Caryn/Caren?”

Read more from the Associated Press: San Francisco officials let people sue over racist 911 calls