A North Carolina Instacart shopper was sitting in a parking lot when she was approached by some officers. Suspecting that she’s being “racially profiled,” she immediately takes out her phone and starts recording. This makes the police suspicious and sets them off to a line of questioning.
LaCanela (@lacanela.suprema) shared a video of the interaction she had with officers while she was minding her business in a parking lot. She finished her Instacart shopping when the officers approached her, wondering what she was doing alone in her vehicle. She asks them what the reason is for them “bothering” her this evening. One of the officers, who is shining a flashlight directly at her camera, replies, “It’s a consensual encounter.” He tells her the “issue” is that she’s occupying a vehicle at night and, to them, it seemed suspicious.
To this, LaCanela demands, “So I can’t be in a parking lot?” The officer replies with, “Do you wanna let me finish? Or do you wanna cut me off?” She tells him to continue. He tells her she’s on “private property.” Another officer chimes in and asks her why she’s “so upset” and “pulled out a camera.” LaCanela explains that she’s recording because she’s “black” and feels like she’s being profiled by them.
The officers accuse her of “trespassing” on this property just because she’s sitting there after doing some shopping. One of the officers tells her that she was wrong for “immediately pulling out her phone and starting the racism stuff.” LaCanela tells him that she’s recording because she was minding her business and didn’t like how they approached her. She turns the camera on herself and tells her audience, “You can’t be sitting in the parking lot minding your business while black.” She tries to tell the officers that the store is still open and there’s no way this is a case of trespassing.
Eventually, one of the ‘officers’ tells her that he’s not a cop. He’s some type of security guard who may be patrolling the area at the time. She asks him for a badge number and he confirms that he doesn’t have one. On top of that, none of them will give their names to her. She pans to their vehicle, which has a sticker announcing “Community Police” on the front. It’s obvious they were hired to patrol the area but the fact that they’re not actual police is concerning to her. Eventually, they tell her she’s “no longer allowed on this property” even though she does Instacart business there. They tell her if she returns, she’ll be “subject to arrest.”
Commenters immediately reacted to the video with heated comments and opinions. One commenter explained, “A consensual conversation means a voluntary, mutual exchange of words where all participants engage willingly, without coercion, force, or an imbalance of power. Everyone involved has the right to step away, refuse to answer questions, or change the subject at any time.”
Other commenters said that the conversation was “rude and unnecessary” and that the guards were “being so weird.” Another commenter stated that they do the same thing as LaCanela while they’re working. They shared, “I’m a rideshare driver. I park in lots for my safety as I wait for rides.” At this time, commenters continue to share their reactions on LaCanela’s videos concerning the bizarre interaction.
