Black Woman’s Home Raided After White Neighbor Calls Police Over Loud Malcolm X Speeches

A Black woman in Garner, North Carolina is demanding answers after she says police unfairly raided her home in the middle of the night on May 16, following a complaint from a white neighbor who said she was playing Malcolm X speeches too loudly.

According to IndyWeek, approximately nine police officers responded to Mikisa Thompson’s home with search warrants and seized several electronics including a laptop, a computer monitor and cables, at least seven iPhones, and an alarm clock.

“My children were terrified,” Thompson said. “I was terrified that there was a whole bunch of men with guns in my house.”

According to the search warrant issued by Garner PD, Thompson has been accused of engaging in “amplified speech being projected by some sound amplification device,” a violation of city ordinance, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum fine of $500.

The raid followed a 911 call placed by neighbor Don Barnette, who claimed Thompson was playing “loud Islamic-Muslim preachings.” According to IndyWeek, this is not the first time Barnette has called the police on Thompson for the same reason. On April 22nd, police responded to Thompson’s home for a similar noise complaint, on that occasion they confiscated her stereo and charged her a $50 fine. She has yet to reclaim her stereo from the previous incident.

MikisaThompson on Twitter

One of the 911 calls to complain about Muslim Preachings of Malcom X https://t.co/VmqpV21L02

Thompson and her lawyers believe the incidents are racially charged.

“The victim of a hate crime is picking up the phone on black people whose only crime that you can detect is that they are playing ‘Islamic speeches,’” Thompson said. “All you know is it was loud, it was black, and it was somebody proud of being black, and you wanted to put it to an end.”

Thompson has been summoned to appear in court by police June 24.

Source: IndyWeek