TOPLINEIn response to recent viral videos showing white people calling the police on Black people who aren’t committing a crime, a California lawmaker on Thursday announced he will introduce a bill that would make it a hate crime to make discriminatory 911 calls. A white woman who earned the nickname "BBQ Becky" seen in a 2018 video calling the police on a Black ... [+] family having a barbecue at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California. Michelle Dione / YouTubeKEY FACTSThe bill, which will be introduced by California Assemblymember Rob Bonta, would add making a false emergency report to the state’s hate crimes statute, meaning that 911 calls motivated by someone’s race, religion, gender or any other protected class would qualify as a hate crime. In a statement, Bonta said the intent isn’t to discourage legitimate 911 calls from people who are facing real danger or reporting a crime in good faith. TangentLocal officials in Los Angeles and San Francisco introduced similar legislation this week.

Source: Forbes June 18, 2020 19:28 UTC