Viral ‘Karen’ Told Black Students to Stop Parking Outside Her $1.5 Million Home, Now Protesters Are Showing Up
A so-called Karen is going viral for her response to a parking dispute in front of her new home. An Instagrammer by the name of @briii.likethecheese posted a video of her interaction with the woman after the Instagrammer said that the couple had been harassing Black students and professors who attend Huston-Tillotson University in Texas, designated as a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
“They chose to buy a home directly across the street from an HBCU where there is legal street parking,” the video was captioned. “They have been terrorizing the students, writing notes and putting them on their cars, and even blocked a Black professor’s car in with their trash can and recycling bin to prevent him from moving.”
In the clip, the Instagrammer can be heard trying to explain to the woman that the spot where her car was parked was legal, and that the only spot where it was illegal to park was a little further down the road. But the new homeowners were quick to respond, sharing details about how much they paid for the property instead.
The video has since gone viral, and it is now receiving nationwide attention as students gather to protest the “Karen’s” behavior.
The Two Women Got Into an Argument Over the On-Street Parking
View this post on Instagram
It would appear that the homeowner was tired of having the front of her home blocked, and wasn’t shy about expressing her frustrations. “We paid 1.5 million dollars for our house, and y’all’s graduation rate is only 25 percent,” she snapped at the Instagrammer after she tried to explain how the house was in the middle of a historically Black neighborhood.
Tension continued to rise as “Karen” threatened to call the police on the Instagrammer. The video was shared on Oct. 5, and by Oct. 14 it had received more than 63,600 likes. Not only that, but it gained both local and national attention, with outlets like TMZ eventually picking up the fallout from the footage.
Protests Have Erupted In Austin
View this post on Instagram
Bri posted an update about the video on Oct. 10, trying to answer people’s questions, including whether or not she’s still parking on East 9th Street (she is). Bri also says that there are police officers stationed near the home. She also shared a call to action for her followers, asking people to share the story so that it gets more attention.
And that’s exactly what it did. Even the follow-up video has garnered over 31,300 likes in the few days after it was posted, and people are heeding Bri’s call and heading to the area to share their support with the HBCU.
Now that the video has gained so much attention, people are coming to the East 9th Street location to protest against Karen, noting that the protests have been peaceful but growing as people chant, “You bought a house, not our history.”
Hopefully, protests remain peaceful as the community comes together to support the students, professors, and residents who call the area home.
