Oregon passes law that allows victims to sue racist 911 callers

Source: Portland Press Herald / Getty

Oregon Passes Law Allowing Lawsuits Against Racist 911 Callers

Didn’t see this coming…

According to Vox, the state of Oregon has passed a law that allows the victims of frivolous and mostly racist 911 phone calls to have some form of legal recourse.

On Monday, the Oregon state Senate passed House bill 3216, a measure introduced by the state’s three black Democratic legislators, including Bynum. The bill allows victims of these calls to sue a 911 caller for as much as $250 if the victim can prove that the 911 call was racially motivated and that the caller intended to discriminate or harm the reputation of the victim.

This law is a result of an incident we reported on a year ago in which Rep. Janelle Bynum was accosted while campaigning for reelection.

Jasmine Piazzisi said she called the sheriff’s office because she thought Bynum’s behavior was odd. “The odd behavior from the outside looking in was standing at the end of the drive with her phone for 2-3 minutes per house,” said Piazzisi. “It seemed like longer at houses with nobody home.”

We can’t even ask for folks’ vote without having a police interaction.

”When someone gets the police called on them for just existing in public, it sends a message that you don’t belong here,” Bynum told the Associated Press on Monday. “This creates a legal pathway to justice.”

Call your state rep and tell them you want this law, and perhaps something stiffer, to be brought to your state.