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A viral video over the weekend showed a NYC white woman trying to take a Citi Bike that a Black man had already paid for on his account. That fact didn’t stop the woman from trying to use a centuries-old weapon to get her way: tears.
“Help! Help me! Please, help me,” the woman, who appears to be a NYC Health and Hospitals employee, shouts while trying to grab a bike away from a young Black man who had already purchased the rental.
The young man and those around him tell the woman it’s not her bike, but she refuses to acknowledge her mistake. Instead she tells the young man to “get off” her, even though she is the one trying to grab the bike away from him.
At one point she tries to take his phone away before the young man snatches it back. To which she replies, “You’re hurting my fetus. You’re hurting my unborn child.”
According to NewsOne, the woman identified in the video is allegedly Sarah Jane Comrie, a physician’s assistant at NYC Health and Hospitals.
Tears magically start and stop after co-worker approaches
About 30 seconds into the roughly one minute and 30 seconds-long video, a white man who appears to be the woman’s co-worker approaches the scene.
The man asks what’s going on, and immediately the woman begins to cry as if her tears were activated by a faucet.
“You’re not crying, you’re not crying. I got you on video,” one of the young Black men says. “Are you drunk,” another one asks.
As the young men try to explain to the male co-worker that the bike was not purchased by the woman, she hops on the bike while her alleged co-worker asks if they can reset the bike.
“I’m not resetting the bike. This is my bike,” the young man responds.
Eventually, the male co-worker sprinkles a dash of common sense into the situation by asking his alleged co-worker why she can’t simply take another bike.
At that point the woman’s tears stop as if turned off by a light switch.
“I will, I can,” she says, shrugging her shoulders in defeat.
“Exactly, so take it. Get the f*ck out of here,” one of the young men responds.
While the altercation may appear comical to some viewers, it wasn’t too long ago that a white woman’s tears could cause a Black man or child to be lynched, such as in the case of Emmett Till.
“How you stop crying? Not a tear came down, miss.”
NYC Health and Hospitals responds to situation
Some viewers demanded action from the woman’s employer.
“Fire her. How does she treat patients? Does she steal often or lies,” another user commented.
In a tweet on Sunday, NYC Health and Hospitals Bellevue acknowledged the situation.
“We are sorry this happened, and we are reviewing the incident. NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is committed to providing the highest quality care to all New Yorkers with dignity, cultural sensitivity and compassion.