Everyone deserves to feel safe in their own home, especially when they’re alone. So imagine how terrifying it would be to have police officers pounding on your door without giving a reason. That’s exactly what happened to a Black woman in Tennessee, who endured over fifteen minutes of relentless knocking. Fearing for her safety, particularly since she lives in a rough neighborhood, she chose not to open the door.
But instead of leaving and returning later, the two officers began circling her home. Then, shockingly, they decided to break in through her back window. They knew what they were doing was wrong, you can tell by how they crept inside quietly, without even announcing themselves.
The Tennessee woman stayed in her place filming as the cops crept in. When they came face to face with her, she asked them why they were entering her house. Instead of explaining, one of the cops asked her why she didn’t answer her door, and then told her to come with her hands up. The cop also told her that they had a warrant, but that didn’t make the situation better. The woman shared in another video more details. She explained that she is on federal probation, so she knew that the cops weren’t there for her. If she did something wrong, she would come face-to-face with US Marshals. It also turned out that the warrant they had wasn’t even for her. The warrant was for her ex-girlfriend, who hasn’t lived there for months, so it’s not her address.
It didn’t stop at that. As soon as the Tennessee woman realized that the cops had made a mistake, she asked them to leave, especially since they didn’t have a warrant for her. They basically broke into her house unannounced. Although they had entered through the back window, the cop asked if they could leave through the front door. She was kind enough to allow them, but she made him clean up the mess they caused when they came in through the window. At least that left her satisfied in a way. She now plans to get her lawyer involved following the incident. “I will see you in court,” she told one of the officers as they left. To her, they broke her 4th amendment rights. So she can be angry since this situation could have gone wrong, too.
People Reacting to What Happened to the Black Tennessee Woman
People were just as shocked as the Tennessee woman at what the police did. They believed that it was definitely illegal, which made them encourage her to sue. “And tried to CREEP in. And easy lawsuit win,” one person wrote. Someone else said, “They broke into your house. If they had a warrant to go inside your house then they would’ve broke down the door! Sue them individually and the department!” Another person commented on how the cops didn’t announce themselves as they said, “And didn’t announce theyself once they got in‼!” More people made it clear that what happened was illegal. “A warrant for a person and a warrant to enter a premises are TWO different things. They weren’t supposed to be in your property that’s why they entered illegally,” one person said.
Some commentators also believed that what the police did was insane. “Breaking n entering as a cop is wild,” one woman wrote. Another person then said, “‘Why are you not answering the door?’ while creeping in IS CRAAAAAAZYYYYYYYYYYY.” Others commented on how this could have gone terribly. “So if u started shooting then what bc all we know we seen a shadow and it went from there,” one person wrote. Someone else mentioned a similar situation as they said, “Damn. All I can think about is Brianna Taylor.” One TikTok user was also glad that the woman didn’t get hurt. “I’m glad you survived to tell. Whatever you do, stop talking without a lawyer. I already know you’re a smart person, for filming,” they wrote. The cops should have known better. The Tennessee woman would likely win if she did sue them.
