A San Francisco Board of Supervisors, led by Supervisor Shamann Walton, has doled out the "CAREN Act" (Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies) to put an end to ‘racist 911 calls.”

The ordinance's name is named after the meme name "Karen," often given to people who make racially-biased 911 calls.

"Racist 911 calls are unacceptable that's why I'm introducing the CAREN Act at today’s SF Board of Supervisors meeting," Walton tweeted Tuesday. "This is the CAREN we need."

Under the law, anyone who makes calls with a racist mindset would be "liable for damages no less than $1,000," according to a press release by Walton's office.

In the last few weeks, following the wave of protests for the tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor as well as the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement, there has been a wave of viral social media videos showing white people calling the police, with no valid reason, on people of color.

The latest example of this would the viral video of a white woman, Amy Cooper calling the police on a Black man, in New York City’s Central Park. He was a bird-watcher and had simply cautioned Cooper to leash her dog, following which she proceeded to make the call, pretending to be in distress, and claiming that she was being harassed.

There have been countless such incidents in the past and an ordinance like the “CAREN Act” will ensure that those making such 911 calls will face punishments than just being public or social media ridicule.

"These incidents cause serious harm to the person falsely accused of a crime, cause anxiety and distrust among people of color, and put an unnecessary strain on law enforcement officers responding to frivolous and false calls," the newly proposed legislation reads.

California State Assemblyman Rob Bonta from Oakland has joined Walton to ensure that the act is passed. He too had introduced a similar, state-wide bill, that would make a caller accountable if they "fabricate false racially-biased emergency reports."

"Using 911 as a tool for your prejudice towards marginalized communities is unjust and wrong!" Bonta tweeted.

Black Lives Matter Protest
A young woman wearing a mask and black lives matter t-shirt marching in a #BlackLivesMatter protest. Julian Wan/Unsplash

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