Teresa Klein Called the Police on a Black Child Who Bumped Into Her

In Brooklyn last week, Teresa Klein, a white woman called the police claiming that a young black boy touched her behind in a Brooklyn deli.

Yes, she did. Klein was quickly labeled “Cornerstore Caroline” by Jason Littlejohn, a Flatbush resident who recorded the commotion outside of the Sahara Deli Market, in which Klein rails in a phone call to police:

“I was just sexually assaulted by a child. The son grabbed my ass and she decided to yell at me.”

The boy, who is about 9, burst into tears as bystanders confronted Klein about the incident.

Here’s what happened … Klein was in the bodega and a young boy was standing nearby; as that child turned, his backpack brushed against Klein’s backside and she went off, accusing a nine-year-old boy of sexual assault.

But he was a black child … shades of Emmett Till who was murdered years ago because a white woman lied about him making advances toward her. Thank the goddess we moved on a half-step from those days.

And thank the goddess for cell phones and surveillance cameras, because now everyone, including Teresa Klein, knows that she overreacted.

For three days this story was all over social media, with cellphone and instore camera footage, detailing the events, and finally, at the end of the week, Teresa Klein returned to the store to buy cigarettes and to face her neighbors, who heckled her as she spoke to journalists.

Then, and only after being prompted by a reporter, Klein entered the store to see the footage of this little bump with a backpack. And only then did Klein apologize:

“Young man. I don’t know your name but I’m sorry.”

Klein denies acting out of bigotry toward the boy but complained that the child’s mother reacted aggressively when she said the boy had touched her.

Huh; you shriek at a child, and accuse him of sexual assault, and then, when his mother steps in to defend her child, she acts defensively? Go figure.

Stop it. White people, just stop it. I don’t care who the president is, or how he acts, we should be better than this.

If you scared a black child’s gonna grab your ass, stay home!

If you’re afraid of black people barbecuing in the park stay out of the park!

If you’re nervous about two black men sitting in Starbucks, drink your goddamned coffee at home!

If seeing a young black child mowing a neighbor’s lawn causes you concern, sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up!

If you spot a black man babysitting two white kids and you think there’s something sinister happening, go home!

And as for you white people who also see these things and hear these things and find this kind of blatant racist behavior unacceptable, you need to speak up, too, or you might just wanna stay home yourselves.

Say something to the racists. Shine a light on them and their behavior will crawl back under a rock where it belongs.

NYT