Editor’s note: A ThinkProgress investigation found that the @Crystal1Johnson account was a fake account linked to Russian trolls. The account has since been deleted. In failing to trace back the original source of the tweet, to reach out for comment, and to document the tweet’s viral trajectory, we fell short of our editorial standards. Given the story’s historical and educational value, we’ve decided to leave the post in its original form, and we encourage you to read the ThinkProgress report.
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What can black people do these days without being accused of a crime?
Apparently you can remove “go to work” from the list.
On Monday a Facebook post of a black man being given a ticket went viral. From what can be told by the picture and the post, the man works for Comcast and was working on a house when a bystander reported him to the cops. (By the time his post got to Twitter, his name had been redacted.)
The police allegedly showed up, guns drawn, and told the man to put his hands up because he was accused of walking around the property, looking through windows, trying to open doors, and searching for a way to steal from the home.
The man wore a red Comcast shirt, was near his white Comcast truck, and was searching for some wiring to do his job.
Apparently someone saw the man in an area where they did not think he should be, got scared, and reported him. You’d think the Comcast truck and shirt would have done the trick.
