American Airlines does it again - Investigated for being "Fat and Black" - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#14910445
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/04/30/american-airlines-passenger-the-cops-were-called-on-me-for-flying-while-fat-black/?noredirect=on

American Airlines passenger: ‘The cops were called on me for flying while fat & Black’ by Allison Klein April 30 at 7:30 AM

Amber Phillips stepped on an American Airlines flight from Raleigh-Durham to Washington on Thursday evening and immediately noticed how small the plane was. There were 65 seats, just two in each row.

When Phillips sat down, her arm rested next to that of the passenger in the adjacent seat, she said. Their arms were touching.

“I was thinking, I really hope she doesn’t treat me mean,” said Phillips, 28, who lives in Washington. “She was fidgeting, and finally she looks at me and goes, ‘Can you move over?’ ”

Phillips told her: “No, I actually can’t. I’m in the window seat.”

Phillips said she noticed the woman was growing increasingly annoyed at the tight space they were in.

“I wasn’t going to say anything because I know how hard it is for people who are perceived as fat to say, ‘I was mistreated,’ ” said Phillips, who shared her experience in a series of viral tweets, including one that said, “The cops were called on me for flying while fat & Black.”

But soon, Philips decided not to hold her tongue. As the flight progressed, the woman rested her ankle on her own her knee, so the bottom of her foot was facing Phillips, she said.

Phillips said she felt that the woman was trying to push her closer to the window.

“I said, ‘you’re being awful, don’t let the bottom of your foot touch me,’ ” Phillips said.

The woman, Phillips said, responded.

“She turned my words and said I was being mean,” said Phillips, co-host of the podcast “The Black Joy Mixtape.”

Things were tense.

“The whole time I was sitting there I was trying not to cry,” Phillips said. “I dropped my headphones, and I was afraid to pick them up.”

Phillips said she then grabbed her cellphone and started recording the woman on the plane. The woman tried to block her face from Phillips’s camera. Then the woman complained to a flight attendant about Phillips, she said.

They got off the plane at Reagan National Airport and headed to a shuttle bus that would bring them to a terminal.

Phillips said she was surprised moments later when a flight attendant announced that she was calling the police.

An officer with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police arrived and approached Phillips and told her to get off the shuttle, she said. He told her he was called for an assault investigation and asked her some questions. After a few minutes, the officer told both Phillips and the other woman they could leave. The incident delayed Phillips about 30 minutes, she said.

“All of this because my arm was touching this woman,” Phillips said.

The Washington Post could not locate the woman or identify her. Neither the airline, nor the police who were eventually called, would release her name.

In a news release American Airlines said: “Two passengers seated next to each other engaged in a verbal altercation while on board. Upon landing in DCA shortly after 8 p.m. ET, one of the passengers requested the flight attendant contact law enforcement.”

Airline spokeswoman Kristen Foster said that American employees had “an obligation” to call the police. “We contacted law enforcement at the request of another passenger on the flight,” she said in an email. “We have an obligation to contact law enforcement if any passenger requests it (just as we would if someone requested medical assistance, for example).”

MWAA police said they were called because of an “in-flight incident.”

“Assistance was requested following an in-flight incident involving two passengers, which continued on an American Airlines shuttle bus at Reagan National Airport. … Both passengers complied with police requests and it was determined that there was no immediate threat to passenger safety. There were no arrests, no charges were filed and both passengers continued on their way.”

Phillips said she was scared, upset and shaken.

“White people literally need to stop calling the cops on black people who make them uncomfortable,” she said. “They’re calling the cops like they need to speak to the manager or something. You’re not allowed to call the cops for things that aren’t true.”

This may seem like a triviality, it's not. I think it reflects the effect "White Nationalism" is having on many people in the US. There is a new tension forming between whites and minorities, a resentment firmly based on the ability of racist groups (of any color) to ferment discord with impunity.

Are there steps that can be taken to prevent this from growing into a serious problem?

Zam :smokin:
#14910448
Phillips said she noticed the woman was growing increasingly annoyed at the tight space they were in.

“I wasn’t going to say anything because I know how hard it is for people who are perceived as fat to say, ‘I was mistreated,’ ” said Phillips, who shared her experience in a series of viral tweets, including one that said, “The cops were called on me for flying while fat & Black.”

But soon, Philips decided not to hold her tongue. As the flight progressed, the woman rested her ankle on her own her knee, so the bottom of her foot was facing Phillips, she said.


It looks like an in-flight fight between two passengers, for which the police were called. You need to make sure that you will not commit a crime, while you can say something insulting in this kind of situation.
#14910453
@Zamuel
Why do you and this lady believe race or her size had anything to do with it? There is zero evidence of either.
I believe everyone who has sat on a plane with these seats so close together has been aggravated at the person next to them at some time.
Shame on you and her for creating racism where it probably didn’t exist.
#14910456
The ‘apparently’ white woman was a bitch for having the police called, but there is nothing saying she even mentioned race or size.

For all we know, she could be married to a 400 pound Black man, yet she is being accused of racism and fat shaming solely because the other person was Black and fat.
#14910459
Rancid wrote:I can't say I even understand the story of what happened. So the passenger rested their feet on another person knee/lap? :?:

The way I read it, it's about intimidation (both real and perceived).

The Black woman had a window seat. The white woman wanted her to move over and make more room. This was all verbalized by both women. The Black woman says she felt intimidated. White lady crossed her legs ... Black lady says the white lady was using her foot to invade her space and force her closer to the side of the plane to avoid contact. This was also verbalized. The black lady started recording video on her cell phone and the white lady tried to hide her face, then called for a flight attendant and complained.

Next thing we know they are off the plane and on a terminal bus ... the verbal conflict continued and the white lady asked that the police be called.

I do see intimidation (by the white lady) taking place. The black lady's actions seem defensive. Calling the cops is the clincher. Nothing has happened to justify police involvement. This is the oldest (legal) white on black intimidation I know of. Traditionally with the cops "white is right."

I wouldn't call this incident racism necessarily, but I think the sort of tension that was involved here is caused by the recent popular success of racist groups that have crawled out from under their rocks and bombarded the public with supremacist rhetoric and public demonstrations ... and gotten away with it.

Zam
#14910460
WTF, It was the Black lady who took it public, how do you see the white lady trying to get attention?
The Black lady was the only one to make physical contact, so I fail to see how you assume the white lady was the aggressor.
You are simply wildly speculating based upon your political view.
There is absolutely no way I can tell which of them was the instigator from the information given. In all likelihood, both caused it to escalate.
#14910461
One Degree wrote:WTF, It was the Black lady who took it public,

Which is exactly what you should do if you've been intimidated.

how do you see the white lady trying to get attention?

the one hiding her face from the cell phone camera ? Who said she was ?

The Black lady was the only one to make physical contact

Both ladies had their arms on the armrests as I recall, but of course that had to be aggressive black behavior as you see it, right?

so I fail to see how you assume the white lady was the aggressor.

She initiated the conflict ... asking, then insisting, the black lady make more room. She invaded the black lady's space with her crossed legs. When video recording commenced she sought to conceal her face and activity ... then complained about being recorded. Seems clear to me.

You are simply wildly speculating based upon your political view.

No, I'm objectively analyzing the known facts. (which you are ignoring)

Zam :smokin:
#14910464
Zamuel wrote:Which is exactly what you should do if you've been intimidated.


the one hiding her face from the cell phone camera ? Who said she was ?


Both ladies had their arms on the armrests as I recall, but of course that had to be aggressive black behavior as you see it, right?


She initiated the conflict ... asking, then insisting, the black lady make more room. She invaded the black lady's space with her crossed legs. When video recording commenced she sought to conceal her face and activity ... then complained about being recorded. Seems clear to me.


No, I'm objectively analyzing the known facts. (which you are ignoring)

Zam :smokin:


If you are being objective, then surely you noticed there was not a single report of anyone saying anything about race or size.
Objectively, how did you decide it was about race in the absence of any such evidence? I can understand the Black lady even thinking this but that does not make it real. Zero evidence of it. Actually, if the white lady was a racist she probably would have been demanding a different seat. As far as covering her face, she apparently was aware of how easy these ridiculous accusations are accepted as truth. I would have smashed her friggin’ phone if she stuck it in my face.
#14910467
One Degree wrote:Objectively, how did you decide it was about race

I guess you missed the part where I said, "I wouldn't call this incident racism necessarily."

I would have smashed her friggin’ phone if she stuck it in my face.

And then they would have had someone to take to jail ...

Zam 8)
#14910471
Zamuel wrote:I guess you missed the part where I said, "I wouldn't call this incident racism necessarily."


And then they would have had someone to take to jail ...

Zam 8)


I have paid that price before. I have no problem with paying society’s price to stand up for myself.
#14910481
I remember going on a business trip from Korea to Japan with an American airline. I left my seat for a few minutes. When I came back, a business-type white American had taken my seat. He had taken my luggage and dumped it on his own seat. When I talked to him, he didn't even look up. I didn't feel like making a fuss, so I just sat down on his seat. His seat was next to the seat of a black american soldier apparently stationed in Korea. He did look a bit rough, but was quite peaceful during the trip. He was listening to a music tape.

I'm totally disgusted by white Americans who think that blacks are good enough to die for their country but should not be allowed to sit next to them on an airplane.
#14910485
Atlantis wrote:I remember going on a business trip from Korea to Japan with an American airline. I left my seat for a few minutes. When I came back, a business-type white American had taken my seat. He had taken my luggage and dumped it on his own seat. When I talked to him, he didn't even look up. I didn't feel like making a fuss, so I just sat down on his seat. His seat was next to the seat of a black american soldier apparently stationed in Korea. He did look a bit rough, but was quite peaceful during the trip. He was listening to a music tape.

I'm totally disgusted by white Americans who think that blacks are good enough to die for their country but should not be allowed to sit next to them on an airplane.


If you show the stewardess your ticket she will quickly fix your seating problem.
#14910502
Atlantis wrote:I remember going on a business trip from Korea to Japan with an American airline. I left my seat for a few minutes. When I came back, a business-type white American had taken my seat. He had taken my luggage and dumped it on his own seat. When I talked to him, he didn't even look up. I didn't feel like making a fuss, so I just sat down on his seat. His seat was next to the seat of a black american soldier apparently stationed in Korea. He did look a bit rough, but was quite peaceful during the trip. He was listening to a music tape.

I'm totally disgusted by white Americans who think that blacks are good enough to die for their country but should not be allowed to sit next to them on an airplane.


I am curious why you think the Black soldier had anything to do with this. The guy took your seat. Do you know why he did? I am also curious how a Black man in military uniform looks ‘rough’? Serious questions. I can’t ever recall seeing a Black man in uniform and thinking he posed a possible threat.
#14910539
Atlantis wrote:I didn't have a seat problem. I have a problem with racist pigs.

He wasn't in uniform, but it was clear that he was a US soldier stationed in Korea. And yes, soldiers can look rough.

I was actually wondering if you had a problem with American soldiers and that is why I would not see one as a threat but you would. I am not challenging your veracity, but interested in how we make judgements about situations based upon our own experiences rather than actual facts, I am sure you noticed many things that formed your opinion about the situation that it would be difficult to describe. Again, not doubting you, just pursuing why you came to these conclusions.
#14910549
@One Degree, it seems you have an almost infinite capacity to give obvious racists the benefit of the doubt. :lol:

There's clearly no need to call the police for every little argument you have with someone day to day. I would be willing to be everything I have that the woman in question wouldn't have called the police if the fat black passenger was attractive and white.

A couple of weeks back there was an example of a white guy calling the police on a group of black women for "slow play" at a golf club, for crying out loud. Given American police officers' penchant for getting jittery and shooting people for no reason (particularly if they're black) this sort of behaviour is wildly irresponsible.

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