We are already mid-way through Black History Month, and the reality still remains that harassment and assault towards black bodies continues unchecked. A few weeks ago 22-year old Miya Poinsetto physically and verbally harassed and assaulted a minor during her visit to New York City. This incident occurred at the Arlo SoHo boutique hotel where Ponsetto accused the minor of stealing her missing cell phone and lunged at him even after he informed her that her accusations were false. According to The New York Times, Ponsetto’s phone turned up later at the hotel after an Uber driver returned it.
Ponsetto was charged with attempted robbery, grand larceny, acting in a manner injurious to a child and two counts of attempted assault -Judge Michael Frishman granted Ponsetto supervised release with no monetary bail. While she may not have existing criminal convictions, Ponsetto has three open cases in California and she is set to appear in court on March 29, 2021. Similarly, Amy Cooper – the woman who weaponized her race and gender to risk the life of a Black man in New York’s Central Park last year, recently had her misdemeanor charges dropped because she completed the restorative justice sessions to the prosecutor’s satisfaction.
Although it may be difficult to prove that these incidents were/are racially motivated, it is still unwarranted and results in significant emotional and psychological harm to the victims as well as witnesses involved in ways that will inevitably affect future interactions in public spaces. This sort of misconduct is often fueled by years of false narratives about what Black boys and men are/aren’t capable of doing; from the “Exonerated Five” to the many young Black boys murdered senselessly by civilians as well as law enforcement. We must change the narrative about Black bodies and the overall Black experience -this change begins with holding folks accountable when they put forth action to their microaggressions and more severe racial prejudices.
-Happy Black His& Her-Story Month
