If Oregon’s white residents call the police on Black people for no reason, they might have to come out of pocket.

On Monday, the Oregon state Senate passed a measure allowing victims of bogus 911 calls to take the caller to small claims court, reports The Associated Press. HB 3216, sponsored by three Black legislators from both chambers, passed in the House in April.

Under the new law, victims could sue callers for up to $250 in damages. Victims would be required to prove the incident was an instance of discrimination or an attempt to ruin their reputation. There is no pathway for criminal charges against the fraudulent 911 callers.

Rep. Janelle Bynum hopes the law will “shine a spotlight on an issue African Americans have known for far too long.”

“When someone gets the police called on them for just existing in public, it sends a message that you don’t belong here,” she continued.

This project is personal for Bynum, who co-sponsored the bill after she was a victim of a bigoted caller.

As Blavity previously reported, Bynum was approached by the police while she was canvassing a neighborhood in July 2018. The responding officer revealed a resident called the police to report Bynum for “casing” the houses.

"It was just bizarre," Bynum said to OregonLive last year. "It boils down to people not knowing their neighbors and people having a sense of fear in their neighborhoods, which is kind of my job to help eradicate. But at the end of the day, it's important for people to feel like they can talk to each other to help minimize misunderstandings."

The experience left a permanent impression on the politician.

“There’s a certain amount of your dignity that is stripped when you are stopped by the police for doing nothing but existing,” she said on Monday.

Bynum hopes the law will provide comfort to victims of prejudice.

“This creates a legal pathway to justice for those of us who have to worry about getting the cops called on us for existing in public,” she said.

The only dissenting vote came from Republican Sen. Alan Olsen. who believes the law would deter people from reporting crime thus making “our communities less safe.”

The chamber will make a technical change to the measure before it is sent to the governor’s desk to be signed.

Janelle-Bynum

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