A woman in Florida wasn’t interested in answering two police officers’ questions until they did something she believed should have happened the moment they approached her: say hello.
As they approached, one officer immediately asked, “Is Sylvester your brother?” Instead of answering, the woman took issue with how he addressed her. “Are you gonna speak first or you just gonna say is Sylvester my brother?” she replied, using “speak” to mean greeting her before beginning the conversation.
The officers explained that Sylvester had called police and reported that someone who wasn’t supposed to be at the house was living there. According to the officers, he also said he was afraid of that person. The woman, however, continued focusing on the lack of a greeting rather than the reason for the visit. “Well, that don’t matter, though. You don’t just come in nobody’s yard and not speak,” she told the officers.
The woman continued arguing with the officers, telling them that she did not care why they were there or that they were wearing badges. The officers, however, remained focused on the reason for their visit.
“So you still not gonna speak?” the woman asked the officers loudly. The officers replied that they were speaking to her. She then explained that she expected them to begin the conversation by saying, “Hello, how are you?” Eventually, one of the officers responded, “Good afternoon. I’m sorry. My apologies.” After receiving the greeting she wanted, the woman agreed to continue the conversation and asked the officers what the problem was.
The video ended there. In the caption, the woman explained her position, writing, “POV: When you gotta teach the police some manners… ‘Excuse me, officer… we say good morning how are you around here.’ Respect goes both ways.”
Florida Woman’s Demand for Manners Divides Viewers
The video sparked reactions online. Many viewers sided with the Florida woman and agreed that the officers should have greeted her before asking questions. “You had them nervous and confuse[d],” one person wrote.
Some viewers also explained the woman’s use of “speak,” noting that the word can be used to mean offering someone a greeting. “They cannot say AAVE is not a thing! We use ‘Speak’ interchangeably for ‘greetings’,” one commenter wrote.
More viewers agreed with the woman’s response, arguing that the officers should have shown basic courtesy before asking questions. “They mom and dad didn’t teach them manners,” one person wrote. Someone else added, “I understand I’m big on manners. It’s sad you have to teach grown people. I agree with everything you said and did‼”
Not everyone agreed with the woman’s approach. Some viewers felt the officers were there to address a potentially serious situation and that arguing over a greeting distracted from why they had been called. “Do you want help or not? Hell, I would have left and said stay scared,” one commenter wrote.
What happened with the situation that originally brought police to the Florida home remains unresolved, as the clip ends shortly after the woman finally gets the greeting she demanded. But for many viewers, the most memorable part wasn’t why officers were there in the first place. It was watching a tense conversation come to a temporary halt over two simple words: good afternoon.
