A Year Out The Window
Off-Leash Karens (There Goes The Fillmore Bus #911)
The title alludes to the concept of the “Karen”, an expression denoting an entitled, often racist white woman who has a public meltdown when meeting an unexpected barrier to the privilege to which she is accustomed, and who sometimes abuses said privilege in ways that include calling emergency services (thence the “911” in the subtitle) on people of color without a valid reason for doing so. Just such an incident took place when a white woman in New York City’s Central Park petulantly refused to comply when an African American birdwatcher correctly pointed out that she was flouting park regulations by having an off-leash dog in an area that required pets to be on leash. Given the tendency of police officers to overreact in the presence of men of color, particularly in situations in which a white person has claimed to be in danger, it is a happy surprise that this birdwatcher emerged unharmed — unfortunately not the case for George Floyd, who was murdered by police on the very same day.