#crimingwhilewhite in Chicago

It’s the hashtag that is taking over the nation. Some people say it’s further proof that whites are treated differently than blacks when it comes to police interactions. Others question the truth of the stories being tweeted. Regardless, it’s interesting that the hashtag #crimingwhilewhite became popular hours after a white New York police officer was not indicted in the choking death of an unarmed black father who police suspected was selling loose cigarettes.

You can watch the video of that chokehold altercation here.Attorney General Eric Holder has since said the Justice Department will be following up with an investigation of Eric Garner’s death.

Meanwhile, plenty of white people have been tweeting about how they shoplifted, did drugs, spit on cops, blew through stop lights, played with guns in front of police, drove drunk and drove on expired plates and licenses only to be stopped and released – with only a warning – by cops. That sort of storyline is in sharp contrast to the stories of police encounters with black people, which oft result in harsher sentences, tickets, jailings, injuries or death.

Chicagoans also got in on the trend.

And just a smidgen of the tweets are right here.

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