Residents of an affluent Sacramento suburb took to social media to share photos of rumored protesters seen walking in the area, who were actually revealed to be a group of young black entrepreneurs touring the homes.
Posts made by residents of El Dorado Hills and shared by Tameka Hamilton – a black Republican running for Congress in California – showed the large crowd walking in the street.
One woman – identified as Angie Wackworth – even called on those who supported the 2nd Amendment, the right to bear arms.
’20+ car loads of rioters are hitting the neighborhoods and businesses NOW! This is not a joke,; she said in the post.
Posts made by residents of El Dorado Hills and shared by Tameka Hamilton – a black Republican running for Congress in California – showed the large crowd
Another person took to a post and claimed to be ‘armed.’
Several posts – including Wackworth’s – have since been deleted off social media but were obtained by Malachi Turner, a 22-year-old who mentors young college students and graduates, who led the June 1 event in the neighborhood.
Turner shared the posts in a video he posted on June 4, titled How Racial Profiling Could’ve Caused Another Tragedy in Sacramento California, shows the posts from the various residents before showing what he and the crowd of young hopefuls were actually up to.
On June 1, Turner led the group through Granite Bay, Folsom and El Dorado Hills neighborhoods as part of a ‘dream build’ for what they want in their futures.
Several posts – including Hamiltons – have since been deleted off social media but were obtained by Malachi Turner, a 22-year-old who mentors young college students and graduates, who led the June 1 event in the neighborhood
‘We can’t get our mind around something, we can’t get to wanting something or even feeling like it’s real because we’ve never experienced it,’ Turner said in a clip from his Instagram that he included in the video.
‘So today, take your pictures, take your videos and envision yourself living the way we’re about to see, and envision yourself in the homes we are about to see.’
Footage from the event shows the mostly jolly group commenting on how amazing some of the home features appear to be.
Several of the participants can be heard greeting residents and telling them how beautiful their homes are.
On June 1, Turner led the group through Granite Bay, Folsom and El Dorado Hills neighborhoods as part of a ‘dream build’ for what they want in their futures.
Footage from the event shows the mostly jolly group commenting on how amazing some of the home features appear to be
The group even poses for a photo with a Folsom Police Officer in front of a home in the area, which sold for more than $1.5million.
Folsom police shared that they received one call about the group, the Sacramento Bee reports. The caller told police that the group looked ‘unusual’. Police left the scene once realizing the group was looking at homes.
Five people called the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, according to deputies. Many more took to social media to spew racist stereotypes and fake rumors, prompting a response from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.
‘First off, there are a lot of rumors of looting, crime, and rioting over social media regarding our county. Right now, there are no confirmed cases of looting or criminal behavior associated with rioting,’ they said in a statement on June 1
‘We have many people working very hard to ensure it stays this way. We will update the community if this changes. Please be wary of rumors on social media and do not believe everything you hear, unless it is from a reliable source.’
Folsom police shared that they received one call about the group, the Sacramento Bee reports. The caller told police that the group looked ‘unusual’. Police left the scene once realizing the group was looking at homes
Five people called the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, according to deputies. Many more took to social media to spew racist stereotypes and fake rumors, prompting a response from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office
El Dorado Hills has a population of 42,000 residents, of which 80 per cent are white. Black people make up just 1.6 per cent of residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Turner was unaware of all the hostility and racist stereotyping until he saw photos of the group circulating across social media.
‘Some people were nice and some gave us dirty looks,’ Turner said. ‘While we thought that it was harmless, they were going on social media and spreading rumors saying that carloads of rioters are hitting our neighborhood.’
He continued: ‘If it was another group of individuals, I don’t believe the fear would have been the same.’
Turner reflected on how dangerous the situation could have been for him and the other participants
Brian Landsberg, a professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, said that reactions like the one of social media are commonplace.
‘If we had more housing integration, people wouldn’t be so suspicious of people of color,’ he added.
The sentiment was shared by Erin Kerrison, a professor in the school welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, who said that the action showed not only vigilantism but also anti-blackness.
‘There is something that is very unique and very durable about white property claims to their space and their right to make that space safe,’ Kerrison said.
‘They imagine what is theirs, their streets, their grocery stores, their sidewalks, and what they claim is theirs against a black threat.’
‘You’re telling me you were prepared and ready to shoot people, a group of individuals just because they’re black?’ he said. ‘That racial profiling is going to get people killed.’ One of the posts Turner shared in his video
Bruce Haynes, a professor at UC Davis, attributed the behavior to ‘white flight’.
‘There is a reason why those spaces became all white in the first place,’ said Haynes. ‘They went there when Sacramento became too dark, and it’s white flight into the exurbs.’
Turner reflected on how dangerous the situation could have been for him and the other participants.
‘You’re telling me you were prepared and ready to shoot people, a group of individuals just because they’re black?’ he said. ‘That racial profiling is going to get people killed.’
He said: ‘Ahmaud Arbery was killed. What if someone from my team got separated, and someone said ‘OK, here’s the threat, let’s neutralize the threat’?’
Turner stressed that he would do another ‘dream build’ but would take some different steps.
‘I would have to go about it in a different way,’ Turner said. ‘I can’t put my team in harm’s way.’