Calling and notifying the police for suspicious behavior is something that the United States generally encourages: “See something? Say something,” is the coined phrase.
Some people use this as grounds to call the police for the most ridiculous and racist reasons, like if they see a Black man with bad posture on a train.
This happened to Alex O’Keefe, award-winning writer of Hulu and FX’s hit series ‘The Bear,’ on Sept. 18, 2025, when he was headed to Connecticut on an MTA train. An older white woman complained to the train’s conductor about how O’Keefe was sitting, resulting in the conductor calling the police.
Jeremy Helligar
O’Keefe recorded the incident, to which he then posted on his Instagram with the caption: “I was arrested on the @MTA train to Connecticut today, pulled off, handcuffed, and detained. An old white woman got on the train and immediately pointed at me and told me to correct how I was sitting. I refused so she went to the conductor and complained.
“The conductor called the police and stopped the train. While waiting for the police to arrive, the old Karen’s friend said ‘You’re not the minority anymore. The police told me to leave the train, I refused and asked what was I doing illegally. They said I was disturbing the peace by not leaving the train. They pulled me off the train and arrested me without even talking to the Karen who reported the one black person on the train.”
O’Keefe ended his caption with the following statement: “On the platform, the police detained me and interrogated me. Only black folks stayed nearby and recorded the arrest. When I demanded a lawyer and reminded them they didn’t even take a statement from the woman who complained they eventually released me. This country is growing more psycho by the day. What will you do about it?”
The police being called on Black folks doing mundane tasks isn't new. In 2018, a then-Starbucks manager called the police on two Black men who were waiting for someone inside the Rittenhouse Square location in Philadelphia. They two men asked to use the bathroom but were denied as they had not yet bought any food or drinks. Both were eventually plaed in handcuffs and arrested on suspicion of trespassing. The Starbucks CEO was embarrased by the altercation and opted not to press charges.
Oregon legislator Janelle Bynum also had the police called on her in 2018 while canvassing for her reelection campaign. A white resident thought she was acting suspiciously and a Clackamas County sheriff's deputy pulled onto the scene. Bynum asked to be connected with the constituent who that she was suspicious. The two connected and the woman apologized.