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July 10, 2019

SF Man Apologizes for Calling Police on Black Man for Entering a Building
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A white man who called the police on a black man, after falsely accusing
him of trespassing, has apologized following a viral video showing the
interaction, which happened on July 4. The man, a manager at You Tube in
San Francisco, was with his young son when he started questioning
35-year-old software engineer Wesly Michel about why he was entering a
building, accusing him of "tailgating" as the father and son opened the
door to leave. The man's son can be heard pleading with him not to call
the police and to move on. The video was shot by Michel.

Christopher Cukor: "Yeah, there's a trespasser in my building."

Cukor's son: "Don't! Dad, don't! Please, don't!"

Christopher Cukor: "He's refusing to leave, and he's"-

Wesly Michel: "Listen to your son."

Cukor's son: "Daddy, no."

Christopher Cukor: "1868 Van Ness."

Cukor's son: "It's the better-I agree with him, Daddy. It's the better."

Christopher Cukor: "At Washington."

Cukor's son: "Let's go. Please! I don't like this. I don't like this.
Daddy, I don't like this!"

Christopher Cukor: "He's standing in the lobby, and he's refusing to
leave."

Cukor's son: "Let's go."

Christopher Cukor: "He tailgated through the door. As I left, he walked
in."

Cukor's son: "Daddy, let's go."

Wesly Michel: "I 'tailgated through the door.'"

Christopher Cukor: "He's-he appears to be African-American."

When Michel's friend appears later in the video, the young boy says,
"Told you. Let's go now. Daddy, look what you've gotten us into." He
also said, "I agree with the man."

Christopher Cukor issued his apology in a post for Medium Tuesday,
saying he was sorry he "caused Welsy to feel unfairly targeted due to
his race." He added that his father was killed outside his home by a
trespasser. In an interview with CNN, Wesly Michel said the interaction
"mirrors the experience that African Americans endure daily where we are
questioned on whether we belong." He added that he started filming to
protect himself and get a true account of what happened if police got
involved.


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