A recording making the rounds on social media appears to be the latest example of racial profiling in the U.S., this time in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood – what the victim said is "an everyday thing when you’re a man of color living in America."
The video, posted to Instagram by @lostsoulcouriercollective, showed the nearly eight-minute, expletive-laden argument between a deliveryman and a resident of the area, known only as "John."
The troubling incident was filmed by the deliveryman, apparently right after the conversation started.
Graphic warning: This video may not be suitable for some viewers.
According to the Instagram post, the victim said he was doing a Narcan delivery in the 2200 block of Clay St. when a white man – who identified himself only as "John" – "called out to (him) from a 3rd story window" and asked what he was doing. After following the deliveryman and repeatedly asking for identification, "John" later said packages had "come up missing in the neighborhood" and implied the victim was responsible.
"Get out of my face," the deliveryman can be heard saying in response to the man's questions. "Every time I come around here, motherf-kers like you make my job harder. Please get out of my face, dude."
The white man, who also filmed the confrontation, was visibly emotional and upset as the deliveryman refused to comply with his requests and grew angry.
It’s not clear when the incident took place.
"For those who don’t know it’s reputation, pac heights is one of the most affluent, snobby, and white neighborhoods in San Francisco," the post said. "It’s a neighborhood of old money, unlike the heavily gentrified neighborhoods where new tech money has displaced historically black and brown communities."
Incidents like this are "a common occurrence in my everyday life," he added.
Amos Brown, President of the San Francisco branch of the NAACP, told the San Francisco Chronicle the incident was "emblematic of the virus that we have not gotten a vaccine for – racism and bigotry."
The deliveryman didn’t respond to requests for comment from KCBS Radio.
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