When I decided to take a picture & video to document the incident, I deplaned, picked up my bag, and boarded the shuttle. While I'm on the shuttle, this woman LIED that I assaulted her and the @AmericanAir flight attendant called the cops to remove me from the shuttle bus. pic.twitter.com/czMyxkQVQ7
— Amber J. Phillips (@AmberAbundance) April 27, 2018
28-year-old writer and feminist activist, Amber J. Phillips, claimed she experienced racism on her flight with American Airlines from North Carolina to Washington D.C., but the Black community doesn’t seem to empathize with her.
Philips retold her horrible flying experience on Twitter about a white woman calling the police on her because their arms were rubbing up against one another’s while seating in a two-seater row on a small plane.
The woman “aggressively” rubbed up against Phillip’s arm and she told Buzzfeed News, “She finally looks at me and says, ‘Can you move over?’ And I’m just like, ‘No, I can’t’ I actually couldn’t move over, but she literally could because she’s in the aisle seat.”
The activist tweeted, “When this WW (white woman) sat back in her seat during landing after leaning forward on her seat tray for most of the flight, she was able to sit back comfortably without touching me. That was my final straw. She made the CHOICE to act out and make me feel like shit when she didn’t have to.”
Due to Phillips bad experience, she decided to record a video to show others how close the seats were together, but then her seatmate complained to the flight attendant and said Phillips assaulted her.
She knew she was wrong. She knew I was going to hold her accountable with my pictures and that's when she decided to pair up with the white @AmericanAir flight attendant to call the cops on me after I was already off the plane and on the shuttle to go home.
— Amber J. Phillips (@AmberAbundance) April 27, 2018
While waiting on the shuttle another passager ask me if I was ok. I said no and that I was afraid. I asked the woman "Will you take my number? And if something happens to me, please record it and send it to me." because my phone was dying and I didn't want to die without proof.
— Amber J. Phillips (@AmberAbundance) April 27, 2018
After the flight deplaned, the woman apparently pointed Phillips out to the flight attendant according to Buzzfeed and the American Airline employee told the writer, “You need to get off the bus… I’m calling the cops, I’m calling security. This bus isn’t going anywhere.”
Philips claimed the officer that removed her from the shuttle bus was extremely aggressive and refused to hear her side of the story. He told her, “I’m not dealing with your abuse! Give me your ID!,” and snatched it from her hands when she asked about the other passenger’s identification.
He asked for my ID. As I looking for my ID, I asked if he asked for the other woman's ID. He aggressively responded to me by saying "I'm not dealing with your abuse! Give me your ID!" I handed him my passport and he yanked it out of my hand.
— Amber J. Phillips (@AmberAbundance) April 27, 2018
I then asked, "Would you like to know what happened?" Aggressive again he said "NO! I'm investigating this as an assault!" I very calmly said "Wow, ok." I backed up and made sure my hands were visible which upset the officer as well and he called in for an additional cop, yall!!!
— Amber J. Phillips (@AmberAbundance) April 27, 2018
The activist told Buzzfeed,” One thing I know for sure is that I deserve to be treated with respect… I was in my seat. I was buckled in. I did everything I was supposed to do… Those seats are uncomfortable for literally everybody, but I deserve to exist. I deserve to be in the world.’ She added,” We need to talk specifically about what’s happening to Black, fat bodies while flying.”
However, Black people slammed Phillips for her former derogatory remarks against Black men during an interview with News One host Roland Martin where she said, “All of you can and have probably raped or caused harm!” She’s also accused Black men of being the biggest killers of Black women.
People on Twitter dragged Phillips and one person posted, “Too late for tears, the damage is done.”
Another user wrote, “She gets a taste of her own medicine.”
Here are other responses from the Black community regarding Phillip’s incident:
https://twitter.com/Jbthegreatest45/status/990354525096742913
Amber Phillips also said that ALL BLACK MEN are involved in rape culture. Now I don't agree with what the white woman did however ,I'm not going to rally behind a coon siding with female white supremacist such as Amber Phillips pic.twitter.com/m5FHQb9JIH
— Vangie G (@VangieG2) April 29, 2018
