Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian has narrated a story on Twitter about a peaceful experience he had with a police officer in college. This was done to make a point about his white privilege and racial inequality.
In a Twitter thread posted Tuesday, Ohanian revealed that he was allowed to go free in college after a police officer found him passed out in his car while ‘drunk and high.’ Ohanian said he was able to go home without punishment or harm “because I was white,” and told his followers he was “disgusted” that people of color wouldn’t be afforded the same leniency.
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“I walked away + started Reddit, not jail time. I became an entrepreneur, not a statistic,” Ohanian wrote on Twitter. “I’m grateful for that police officer’s tolerance with me + disgusted that it’s so obviously not (never) been afforded to everyone just because of their race.”
Ohanian shared the story alongside a video aboutRayshard Brooks, the Black man killed by police last week at a Wendy’s drive-thru it Atlanta.
The shooting is the latest incident amid a long history of Black people in the US dying at the hands of police officers. The Washington Post reports that there have been more than 100 such encounters so far this year.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month set off a slew of protests against police brutality around the world, which are continuing daily in many cities.
The resulting uptick in force of the Black Lives Matter movement has led to a call to hold brands, businesses, and leaders accountable. Reddit, which Ohanian cofounded in 2015, has faced increased scrutiny for its history of providing a home tohateful rhetoric and hate-based communities.
After CEO Steve Huffman voiced in a recent employee letter that the platform does not tolerate “hate, racism, and violence,” users and moderators called out Reddit’s “blatant hypocrisy” and demanded he enact a policy explicity banning racism and hate speech aimed at “disadvantaged” groups.
Days later, Ohanian stepped down from his positionon Reddit’s board of directors, calling it a “long overdue” move to “do the right thing”. He pledged to use his future gains from Reddit stock to serve the Black community, and called on the company to replace his position on the board with a Black candidate.
Reddit honored his request, and appointed Y Combinator partner Michael Seibel to its board last week.
The full story is available on Twitter that Ohanian shared about his experience with the police:
when I got back to my car, I knew there was no way I was driving anywhere, so I reclined the seat and passed out. I saw the lights of a police officer wake me up some time later, he asked me to step out of the car, then asked if I was capable of driving home…
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) June 16, 2020
I was that I didn't have the keys in the ignition, even with the car off, because it would have been way worse for me. I thanked him (I think) and got home safe except for a bad hangover the next day. For years, those friends and I would tell that story + laugh about that night.
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) June 16, 2020
Because I was white. I walked away + started Reddit, not jail time. I became an entrepreneur, not a statistic. I'm grateful for that police officer's tolerance with me + disgusted that it's so obviously not (never) been afforded to everyone just because of their race.
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian) June 16, 2020
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