An East Bay family says a neighbor armed with a taser came knocking at their door to complain about their dog and proceeded to make racist comments.
During the caught-on-camera confrontation Monday in a gated Discovery Bay neighborhood, the neighbor, an unidentified woman, came over to complain about Dice, the Jones family dog, who they say is sweet and calm. While Gerritt Jones discussed the situation with the woman, the conversation quickly turned racial.
"You know what, you’re a Black person in a white neighborhood and you’re acting like one," the woman is heard saying in the video. "Why don’t you act like a white person in a white neighborhood?"
NBC Bay Area attempted to contact the woman in the video by knocking on her door, but she did not answer.
The Jones family said this was the first time in the 12 years they've lived in their Discovery Bay home that they’ve experienced racism.
"It was just very angering to see that come to our front door," Jariell Jones said.
Jariell Jones said her family has gone the extra mile to be good neighbors.
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"Be extra nice, say 'yes, ma’am, yes, sir,' which I feel is sick that we even have to feel that way," she said. "But even though we were trying to be good Black people in their good white neighborhood, they still treated us this way."
Zuyaire Jones, 13, said the experience was eye-opening and hurtful.
"I want her to know that we are not afraid to stand up for ourselves," he said. "We have the right to walk our dogs, to ride our bikes. I feel like this goes for all the Black people that live in a white neighborhood."
The Jones family wants others to see and hear what happened and understand the kinds of experiences people of color face.
"It don’t matter if you grew up in a gated community your whole life," Gerritt Jones said. "It’s bound to happen. It’s going to happen. And as African Americans, unfortunately, we have to prepare our children on how to deal with this."
