In Attleboro, Massachusetts, a woman called 911 because a man's pit bull mounted her dog at a dog park. The man, identified as 42-year-old Franklin Baxley, who is black, uploaded footage of their heated exchange on social media. "Why did this lady just call the cops on me claiming my dog 'assaulted' her dog when it tried to hump her dog?" he asked on Facebook.
In the first video, the woman, who is white, can be seen calling the police. "Why are you calling the cops right now?" asks Baxley, incredulous. "Because I told you I wasn't leaving the park? Because my dog humped your dog?" A park employee, identified as Carol Cobb Ferraro, interjects, "That's inappropriate for the dog park." "No it's not," argues Baxley. "I've seen every single dog hump another dog here. She's asking me to leave and now she's calling the cops?"
"Have you heard of BBQ Becky?" he asks. "Because this is the latest one right here."
'BBQ Becky' refers to an incident last year, in which a white woman called the cops on a black family who were grilling at a park in Oakland. A series of similar episodes followed: 'Permit Patty' called 911 on a black girl selling water bottles on the sidewalk without a permit in San Francisco. 'Pool Patrol Paula' assaulted a black teenager at a community pool because she thought he didn't belong. In each story, the footage went viral on social media, and the overreacting busybodies were publicly shamed.
Baxley's footage of the confrontation also went viral, racking up nearly a million views on Twitter. Some people dubbed the woman 'Dog Park Debbie,' while others chose 'Dog Park Diane' or 'Dog Park Donna.' (Take your pick!) On Facebook, Baxley uploaded two additional videos that show more of their argument.
Baxley captioned the third clip, "Here is the one where she starts behaving as if she is threatened by me and is accusing me of following her around the park as I am following my dogs like any other dog owner. I was annoyed, so I began mocking her." In the video, he approaches the woman with the camera, and she cries, "Get away from me, get away from me!" "I don’t have to go where you tell me to go, lady," replies Baxley.
Then a police officer arrives at the dog park and tries to sort out the mess. “She told me to leave the park because my dog assaulted her dog by humping him," explains Baxley. "That’s where we’re at, sir."
Baxley explained his side of the story to Yahoo Lifestyle: "I visit this park twice a day and all the dogs get excited when a new one is here. When the woman came in, my dog Dusse ran over and humped hers, so I immediately removed him and apologized, explaining that he’s a puppy."
After Dusse humped the other dog two more times, they pulled him off. The woman told Baxley to leave the park, but he refused. "I said I wasn’t leaving, and she took out her phone and called 911. It escalated quick," he recalled. "This woman wanted to impress upon me that she was superior. Her first instinct was to call the police when in conflict with a black person."
When asked for comment, an Attleboro Police Sergeant stated, "Peace was restored and no charges were filed."