NY ice cream shop owner first to be successfully prosecuted and fined under ‘Karen’ law

David Elmendorf has been ordered to pay $4,500 under new anti-racial profiling law

The former owner of an ice cream shop is the first to be fined under a so-called “Karen” law, after calling the police on Black Lives Matter protesters under false threat allegations in June 2020.

David Elmendorf, who used to run Bumpy's Polar Freeze, in upstate New York, has been ordered to pay nine demonstrators $500 each, totalling $4,500. 

Black Lives Matter activists showed up at Bumpy's Polar Freeze in Schenectady to peacefully protest after the owner allegedly sent racist text messages that were circulated on social media.

Mr Elmendorf reportedly falsely claimed, during a 911 call, that there were “20 armed protesters who were threatening to shoot him” at his store, according to the New York Post.

New York State Attorney General, Letitia James sued Mr Elmendorf under a new bill, signed into law in June 2020, designed to stop people from making false racially biased reports.

“Those who make racist and violent threats will be held accountable by my office with the full weight of the law,” Ms James said in a statement when she announced the lawsuit. “The charges against David Elmendorf should serve as a warning that hate crimes will not be tolerated on my watch and we will not allow any individual to use the colour of someone’s skin as a weapon.”

The law is dubbed the “Central Park Karen“ law after “Karenism”, which stereotypes white, entitled, middle-aged women who complain about minor inconveniences. The law came about after white woman Amy Cooper called the police on a black birdwatcher in Central Park on 25 May 2020, the same day George Floyd was murdered.

Ms Cooper’s dog was not on a lead in an area where all dogs were required to be leashed in the park. She allegedly refused to put her dog on a leash after Christian Cooper (no relation) asked her to do so. Mr Cooper started videoing the woman as she called the police and falsely accused him of threatening her. His video went viral on social media, clocking up more than 45 million views on Twitter.

The Manhattan District Attorney charged Ms Cooper for filing a false police report. She later had her charges dropped after completing an educational course.

The “CAREN Act”, standing for Caution Against Racially Exploitative Non-Emergencies, was also introduced in July in San Francisco. “This bill could protect millions of Californians from becoming targets of hate and prevent the weaponisation of our law enforcement against communities of colour," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement at the time.