A Black woman who was wrongly accused by a white woman of selling drugs in a Sacramento, California neighborhood says she doesn't want the "Karen" to be canceled.
Ronnie Marie Paiva said she doesn't want the unidentified woman to lose her job and has instructed people to instead respond to the white woman with kindness, TMZ reported.
"I'm not looking for anyone to bash her, shame her, lose her job. I feel like God's will, will do that. I just want something positive to come out of that," she said. "If she learned her lesson— don't just roll up on people because what if I was the wrong one? What if I was selling drugs?"
In a viral TikTok video shared last week, Paiva, the owner of Marie’s Luxury Hair Extensions, is seen delivering hair products to a client when she is confronted by a woman who falsely accused her of selling drugs in Sacramento.
@prettii_tb Hair Transaction with marieshairextensions.com ???? #fypシ
#fy
#Karen
#karensoftiktok
#NoDrugs
#JustHair
#Natomas
#Sacramento
While Paiva was approaching her customer who was waiting in a car located in a public park, the unidentified white woman confronted her. The white woman then said she was giving her “a heads up” and that her exchange with her client looked like a drug deal.
The businesswoman responded and instructed the white woman to call law enforcement if she was concerned. Paiva then informed the woman that she lived in the neighborhood and is not a drug dealer.
The unidentified woman then stated that “everyone” was talking about Paiva and thought she was selling drugs in the public park. The woman warned her that although she wasn’t going to call the police, someone else might.
Paiva had enough and eventually left the scene on her bike.
After the TikTok video was published, people sent the businesswoman kind messages and supported her hair business, Yahoo reported.
In an interview with TMZ, Paiva said she hopes that in the future “Karen” will mind her business and be more careful with who she approaches.
At this time, the businesswoman said she had no plans to file a lawsuit against the woman and she continues to use the public park for deliveries to her customers.
She also said that since the incident, she has received new customers and people interested in supporting her.
"To me, that's how you kill a 'Karen.' Not with targeting her and giving her shine," she said, adding that she should mind her business next time.
