A Black real estate agent found herself going viral when a property visit ended with the next-door neighbor calling 911. She said the man accused her of breaking in.
In the Aug. 26 Instagram video, an elderly white resident from Columbia, Maryland, appeared to have a mini-tantrum when he spotted Chela’ P — complete with name-calling and weaponizing the police.
And in the end, he got off with just a warning, she said in a follow-up comment.
The real estate agent explained in her caption that she had been showing the rental property to a potential client when she first encountered the man. After allegedly accusing her of breaking into the house, he dialed 911 and, talking to the dispatcher, referred to her as “Blackity Black.”
She said he repeatedly called the neighborhood a “drug-free zone,” for no apparent reason.
The video shows the man hovering behind her car taking photos of her license plate. When she questioned what he was doing, he responded, “I’m walking on my street that I pay taxes for.”
The exchange spiraled from there, with the man calling her a “smart a–” on camera and Chela’ P warning that authorities would be notified if he didn’t back away.
“You’re giving very much racist,” she told him, “’Cause you’re just harassing me and I’m trying to show a house.”
Beating her to the punch, the man called and reported the so-called emergency. The video captures him telling the dispatcher, “It went up for rent at 10 a.m., and then there’s a woman here … taking pictures.”
@sheis_chela Today I had the STRANGEST experience while doing my job in Columbia, MD. I was showing a home to a potential client when a man accused me of “breaking into the home,” called the police, and falsely told them I was being aggressive. While on the phone with 911, he kept saying, “She Black, Blackity Black,” commented on how young I looked, and repeatedly said the neighborhood was a “drug-free zone.” I called my previous client back to come be a witness because I couldn’t believe what was happening. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to record the entire interaction. Thankfully, the officers who responded were extremely professional and even apologized to me for his behavior. Imagine being a Black woman simply doing her job and someone deciding you don’t belong there. 🤦🏾♀️#racism #discriminationawareness #realtor #DMV #mindyourbusiness ♬ original sound – sheis_chela
‘A Warning’
Under Maryland law, calling 911 with a fake emergency isn’t just rude or racist — it’s potentially a crime.
A state statute makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly give police false information, with penalties of up to six months behind bars.
Whether the man’s call to police meets that threshold is now a question for Howard County law enforcement. According to Chela’ P, however, he walked away with nothing more than a talking-to.
“[Police] gave him a warning and told him when I come back out he better not say anything or follow me or he will be going to jail,” she replied to a commenter asking if he was arrested.
Commenters are hoping the warning was enough to sink in. As one commenter said, Chela’ P’s business is really “none of his business.”
