A white North Carolina woman will not go to jail for harassing two Black women as they waited for roadside assistance in a parking lot.
Susan Westwood, 51, received 12 months of unsupervised probation for misuse of the 911 system and two counts of simple assault, reports The Associated Press. She is required to pay court costs and attend meetings for white people who need to "examine and deconstruct their internalized racial superiority."
In October 2018, Westwood approached sisters, Leisa and Mary Garris, while they were standing in the parking lot of an apartment complex in South Park, North Carolina, as Blavity previously reported. An intoxicated Westwood falsely accused the Garrises of robbing apartments and panhandling. One of the sisters recorded their interactions with the woman dubbed “South Park Susan.”
“I am white and hot. So what are you doing here?” she demanded.
She also threatened to pull out a gun and bragged about making “125,000 a year.”
"Do I need to bring out my concealed weapon too?" she asked.
In a 911 call, Westwood lied, according to The Charlotte Observer. She claimed they had never been there before even though one of them said she lived in the complex.
"They are actually people that I've never seen here before, but they are African American,” she told the dispatcher.
She also accused the Garris sisters of “trying to break into apartments” and “causing problems.”
“Nobody breaks their car down in the best part of society … Nobody breaks their car down here unless they are looking for money,” she continued.
Thankfully, law enforcement saw right through her ruse.
“It was obvious from this case, based on what Ms. Westwood was saying to the 911 operator, the story she was telling was not true at all. That’s why the determination was made to go ahead and charge her with this misdemeanor,” said Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Lt Brad Koch.
“She was using the police to try to further her agenda. Our job is not to take sides. Our job is to be there … our goal is not to arrest people whenever or to sign warrants on individuals who misuse 911, but that certainly is an avenue that officers can explore.”
The stunt caused Westwood to lose her six-figure job and led to her eviction from her apartment.