These days, it’s unfortunately not uncommon to encounter racism in public. With the rise of overt racial hostility in recent years, some observers argue that specific political figures have emboldened individuals to act on their prejudices without consequence. One Reddit user, theboyonyx, recently shared a video captured by a friend of his brother, which illustrates this troubling reality. The young man recording the incident had just witnessed a woman rear-end his mother’s car in California. Instead of showing any remorse, the woman reacted aggressively. She claimed the boy’s mother shouldn’t have stopped where she did, implying that this caused the collision. The young man explained that this was impossible since there was another car in front of them, and his mother had to stop to avoid hitting it. The woman stubbornly insisted there was no car.
Tensions escalated when the California woman accused the young man of getting “up in her face,” even though he had not moved closer and was primarily recording the incident. She then launched into blatant racist remarks, saying his mother “needs to learn how to drive in this country” and that she “doesn’t belong here.” Understandably, the young man became upset and confronted her.
However, when the California police arrived, their response was surprising. Rather than addressing the woman’s aggressive behavior and racist comments, the officers told the young man to calm down, effectively siding with her. Internet users who saw the incident expressed outrage. “Cops take her side quick,” one Redditor commented. Many criticized the police for failing to remain impartial and allowing the racist behavior to go unchecked.
One user even humorously summarized the interaction:
Lady who hits car: “Your mom should get out of this country! Get the fuck out of my face as I get in yours!”
Man whose mom’s car was hit: “Hey, that’s not nice.”
Cops: “Calm down, sir! Stop resisting! This woman is clearly the victim, and you are the aggressor!”
Other commenters offered practical advice for avoiding similar situations, with many recommending the use of a dash cam. “Get a dash cam, people. No arguing with useless bags of crap who don’t know how to drive is necessary if you have one,” one user wrote.
Several users lamented how far the U.S. seems to have regressed, pointing to the visibility of bigots and racists in public spaces. One user commented on the absurdity of the woman’s claims: “Gotta love how racists don’t even try to make sense with half the stuff they say. ‘Needs to learn to drive in this country,’ as opposed to what? Where and how driving practice happens? Even if we humor her, and the dude’s mom wasn’t native and there wasn’t a car in front of her, what country’s driving laws require you to randomly slam on your brakes in the middle of the street?”
