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TikTok user Shane Meyers was peacefully protesting by himself when an angry woman called the police over his demonstration on Sunday, May 31. He took to the social media platform and documented his experience.
Meyers held up a sign that read "black lives f**king matter," around 6 p.m. on the corner of Forest Hill Boulevard and U.S. Route 441, according to Business Insider. He smiled at cars that passed by.
Indie rapper AngieonMars drove by and thanked him for his activism. "All it takes is one," she called out from her car, according to a TikTok she made. "Thank you and god bless."
However, after their interaction, Meyers was approached by a woman, who he cheekily called Karen, that reported him to the police. She said she believed he was "inciting riots" by standing on the side of the road with a sign. When the cops arrived, Meyers documented the interaction, and edited a video using his footage and AngieonMars'. "Me protesting peacefully & alone in an affluent white suburb," he began the clip from the rapper, which then cut to when the police arrived.
"And Karen chased me down and called 2 cops on me for 'inciting riots' because she was threatened by the premise that BLACK LIVES F**KING MATTER," he continued. The Internet slang term "Karen" refers to a woman "characterized as an irritating, entitled woman." Common Karen behavior includes blowing little things way out of proportion, such as this peaceful statement Meyers made.
The woman and cops stood on the side of the road while Meyers recorded the interaction. He appeared shocked that everything that was happening was "over a f**king sign."
"I said to him, 'Excuse me, but could you please not put that sign out because it's gonna crank up the wrong people," the woman said in the TikTok. "I don't wanna be driving and have bullets shot at me because you started it,'" she pointed to Meyers.
However, the police felt otherwise. "Unfortunately, he's allowed to stand here with a sign that says whatever he wants to say on it," the officer told the upset woman.
"I'm just angry because I don't want to get caught if they start rioting because of your sign," the woman lamented. "I'm also upset because black and brown lives are at risk every single day in this country," Meyers fired back. The woman and officer said that everyone's lives are at risk at this point.
Karen also appeared to have a problem with Meyers' use of profanity on his poster. "Wow, the f-word too?" she agonized. "Little kids are reading that."
Meyers told the woman "I'm sorry if you're a snowflake and can't handle—" before the clip cuts off. "They say they want peaceful protests, but what they mean is they want us to be quiet #BLM," Meyers captioned the minute-long video.
TikTok users applauded Meyers for protesting. "You handled her ignorance perfectly, you are awesome!" one person wrote. "Thank you so much for protesting alone! I know that took bravery but it really only takes one person," another chimed in.
Newsweek did not receive comment from Shane Meyers at the time of publication.
