Caller's alarming account of being black in the US stopped James O'Brien in his tracks

1 June 2020, 14:59

James O'Brien thanked this caller for her wake-up call on what being black is like in both the US and the UK.

James was talking about the sixth day of protests in the US following the death of protester George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis.

Diana is American but lives in the UK, and she explained how she couldn't even walk with crutches in the US without police harassing her.

Speaking on LBC, Diana said: "I have mobility problems and am on crutches. I live on a road that has no lights. I got off a bus and had to cross the road. I waited until cars stopped and let me cross.

"Way in the distance were sirens. I got across the road safely, then a police car pulled up and he started to harass me because I could have been hit. He was way off in the distance.

"I can't even be on crutches and be black.

"The day after Brexit, I got off the bus and had a white man scream at me, saying it's time for your black ass to get out of there. This is disgusting.

"To watch my brother die. To watch the life of a man just pressed out of his body.

"And I know this has happened hundreds and thousands of times. Now we get to see it because people have cameras. To watch this, the pain is unbearable."

Afterwards, James told her: "Thank you. Thank you for the wake-up call. Thank you for the kindness and basic decency at the heart of everything you've said.

"And I'm so sorry about what you go through and what you have to go through.