#CrimingWhileWhite brilliantly exposes law enforcement’s racist double standard
Some of the most powerful responses to social injustice are born on social media, and Wednesday night, that power was on full display.
Following a grand jury’s decision to let a white police officer walk free for the death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man and father of six in New York City, the hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite began trending on Twitter. While real-life protests were occurring simultaneously across New York City, the hashtag became a powerful indictment of white privilege and the law. The hashtag was started by Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon writer Jason Ross, who shared his story of a childhood run-in with the law.