'Cornerstore Caroline' Would Face Jail Time Under Proposed Law

PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS, BROOKLYN — “Cornerstore Caroline” would face months in jail for calling 911 on a 9-year-old boy she mistakenly believed groped her under a proposed bill.

State Senator Kevin Parker stood Thursday outside Sahara Market Deli — the bodega where Teresa Klein mistook the brush of a young boy’s backpack for a sexual assault — to announce newly drafted legislation that would criminalize calling 911 for a non-emergency.

“We’re here today because there are people across the country, and even right here in the people’s republic of Brooklyn, who are trying to weaponize the 911 system,” Parker said. “We know what happens … with unarmed civilians when they’re African-American, particularly when white police officers respond.

“We have to create disincentives. We want people to be safe.”

Parker argued 911 calls for non-emergency situations endangers the people being reported, wastes time and resources of first responders and law enforcement officials who provide a critical service, and costs the taxpayers money.

As drafted, State Senate bill S9150 would designate such non-emergency calls a class B misdemeanor crime, punishable by a $500 fine or a maximum three-month jail sentence, Parker said.

“We think this is an appropriate punishment for people who are trying to use our system in a way that is not intended,” Parker said. “We want to make sure our first responders are going to actual emergencies.”

The announcement came just days after the boy and his mother addressed a large crowd of supporters who gathered outside the deli to demand Klein face punishment for her actions.

"Racism should be stopped," the crying 9-year-old Jeremiah told the protesters. "Please don't do bad things."

Many people have since called for Klein's arrest, asserting that she identified herself as a police officer and broke the law, a claim the Brooklyn District Attorney's office is investigating.

Parker’s legislation is similar to a bill from Brooklyn state Senator Jesse Hamilton who proposed making such 911 calls a hate crime after a self-described Trump supporter called 911 on him for campaigning in his own district.

Parker called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to call a special session so that his bill could come to a vote as soon as possible.

“Bring this bill to the floor before the next session,” Parker told Cuomo. “We don’t have time.”

Photo by Kathleen Culliton