The recordings of actual 911 calls from the infamous "BBQ Becky"—real name Jennifer Schulte—were released.
And in one we actually hear the dispatcher question Jennifer Schulte's sanity.
Four months ago, Jennifer Schulte—aka BBQ Becky—went viral after she called 911 on a group of Black people barbecuing in a park in Oakland, California. Now, the recordings of her 911 calls have been released to the public, including one in which a dispatcher questioned her mental health according to Fox 2 KTVU and transcripts of the recording.
In the first call, Schulte made some pretty odd statements to the dispatcher after seeing Black folks having fun grilling in the park.
Schulte stated:
"I'd like to report that someone is illegally using a charcoal grill in a non-designated area in Lake Merritt Park near Cleveland Cascade."
"I'd like it dealt with immediately so that coals don't burn more children and we have to pay more taxes."
Coals burning children and paying more taxes? WTF‽‽‽
The dispatcher asked Schulte if she wanted the police to make contact with her once they arrived and she said "yes." The first call lasted less than two minutes.
It was the second call to 911 several hours later that took a turn so bad that the dispatcher questioned Schulte's mental health.
The Root transcribed a portion of the second call to police by Schulte.
In the background, you can hear Michelle Snider, the White woman who took the cell phone video of the incident that went viral. Snider is married to Kenzie Smith, one of the Black men using the grill that day and minding his damn business.
Per Fox 2 KTVU, here is a rundown of the exchange from the second call:
The dispatcher—who is not the same one who answered the original call—seems confused about the situation.
They asked Schulte:
"Who's yelling in the background? Why is the person yelling? To panic over a barbecue? I don't understand."
Schulte responded:
"I don't know."
The dispatcher further asks if she can walk away from the situation, but she replies that Snider is following her. The voice of Snider and other unidentified people in the background can be heard through much of the call, but their exact words are not always clear.
About a third of the way through the second 911 call, the dispatcher asks for Schulte's name but she is reluctant to provide it or a description of herself.
Eventually she tells the dispatcher she is wearing a dark navy blue sweatshirt and jeans, and that she has shoulder-length brown hair.
When the dispatcher asks for her race and age Schulte said:
"My race doesn't matter."
The dispatcher responded:
"It does matter. How are we going to find you? Just any lady? Are you black or are you white?"
Schulte:
"It doesn't matter. I want the police to come I've been waiting two hours for them."
Dispatcher:
"How are they going to find you?"
Schulte:
"They usually call your cell phone when they're here."
So it seems this is something Schulte did often since she know what they usually do.
The dispatcher then said:
"I'm talking to you right now. Have you ever been to John George?"
Schulte:
"What's John George?"
Dispatcher:
"It's a mental facility."
Schulte:
"No!"
Dispatcher:
"OK, then. Please answer my question. They're coming to you right now."
Schulte continues to refuse to answer and the dispatcher tells her she's going to hang up. Schulte finally provides the information.
When asked if the people she is reporting have a gun or a knife, Schulte tells the dispatcher she doesn't know. In the hours Schulte hung around in the park next to the BBQ, not once was there a verbal threat from either man or any form of weapon.
Instead of making that clear to police, Schulte tells the dispatcher to relay to the police that she doesn't know if the large Black men are armed with guns or knives.
Twitter reacted to the release of the tapes.
Many were cheering the dispatcher.
Let's hope Jennifer Schulte continues to be a lesson for people wasting the police department's time over using a BBQ grill in a park that allows BBQ grills.
H/T: The Root, Huffington Post
