A White couple called 911 after James Juanillo stenciled Black Lives Matter in chalk on his own San Francisco apartment.
From California to Massachusetts, several cities are looking for ways to regulate racism.
The Board of Health in Natick, MA is crafting legislation to declare racism a public health crisis, reports Metro West Daily News.
It’s something nearby Framingham did last month.
Sarah Benes, a local resident in Natick, says she’d like to see a statement which clearly calls out racism.
“My hope is with a statement, it does lead us to action,” Benes said to the Metro West Daily News. She said such action could include a review of land use, affordable housing, and school programs to help students of color.
Delli Colli, a retired dentist, said he saw racial disparities in dental care, but he fears it may be difficult to come with specific actions.
Natick is 85.4% White, 7.2% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 2% Black and .1% Native American.
Last month, Framingham coupled an order declaring racism a health crisis with an order on police reforms.
Those reforms included a requirement that police officers de-escalate situations with a goal of eliminating the use of force, a ban on chokeholds and strangleholds except when absolutely necessary and a requirement that officers step in to stop other officers from using excessive force.
In San Francisco, a County Supervisor last week introduced a measure to ban racially motivated calls to 911. A similar measure is also being considered in the state legislature.
Assemblyperson Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) proposed a bill that would call for consequences for anyone who files a false police report based on bias towards someone’s race, class, appearance and religion, according to CBS San Francisco.
Some have nicknamed these bills the Caren Act or Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies. Karen is an urban term applied to entitled White woman.
Proposals are also being considered in the states of New York, Oregon and Washington.
Examples of recent incidents these laws might cover include a White woman in Central Park calling 911 on a Black bird watcher. In Oakland, a woman called 911 to report a Black man who was having a barbecue and in San Francisco a White couple called 911 about a Filipino American who stenciled a Black Lives Matter sign in chalk on his own apartment building.
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