Constituent calls cops on ‘suspicious’ black politician canvassing (PHOTO)
A black Democratic politician was canvassing in Oregon when a white woman called the police on her, marking the latest in a string of instances of black people being reported to the police for engaging in ordinary activities.
Rep Janelle Bynum, Oregon State Representative in House District 51, is running for re-election in November this year. However, her campaign nearly hit an early snag after she was confronted by police because a constituent apparently thought she looked “suspicious” while conversing with voters at their homes.
Taking to Facebook to joke about the incident, Janelle Bynum explained how she was canvassing on the “mean streets” of the leafy Clackamas community when she realized someone had taken umbrage at her presence.
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Apparently a constituent thought that Bynum knocking on doors and looking at her phone represented a potential threat and the local police were called. The politician, who has promised to improve school funding, has since praised responding police for their professionalism in dealing with the matter.
“Big shout out to Officer Campbell who responded professionally to someone who said that I was going door to door and spending a lot of time typing on my cell phone after each house – aka canvassing and keeping account of what my community cares about,” Bynum said.
Bynum’s online post received hundreds of interactions, largely from people shocked at the waste of police time. The woman who alerted the police has since apologized to Bynum for her mistake.
The incident comes after California woman seemingly jumped the gun in a similar manner, when she called police on a eight-year-old African American girl selling water in Oakland. The bizarre incident resulted in a outpouring of support for the girl.
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