White power

overpowers Black
woman
By Marisa, Kaydee, Arie, Austin, and Raistlin

Summary
Fay Wells locked herself out of her apartment.
Just as she entered her apartment, she heard
people outside her door. She was then met with 19
police officers at her door because a neighbor
reported a burglary at her apartment. ...something
about me-a 57 125 pound black women-frightened
this man with a gun. Wells was arrested. What
mattered was that I was a woman of color trying to
get into her apartment-in an almost entirely white
apartment complex in a mostly white city Her
neighbor called the police because of a suspected
burglary. Wells asked many questions to the police,
not getting straight-forward answers. She filed a
complaint with internal affairs and doesnt feel safe
in her own home

Methods of Elaboration

-Irony: Ironic that a police officer with a gun and the ability to shoot her was afraid
of a woman that had no weapon.
a 5foot7, 125pound black woman - frightened this man with a gun. (pgh. 2)
-Allusion: NAACP- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The local branch of NAACP and other concerned residents met with the
SMPD (pgh. 8)
-Hypothetical Situation: The intensity of the situation and how it was blown out of
proportion
If I hadnt heard the dog, would I have opened the door to a gun in my
face? (pgh. 4)
-Quotes: Shows how the person that called the police had no real justification in
doing so
He angrily responded, Im an attorney, so you can go f- yourself (pgh. 6)
-Restating: Restates that she could not get answers from police through multiple
attempts
I got no clear answers...despite multiple visits, calls and emails (pgh. 6)

Methods of Elaboration

Quotes: Shows how the person that called the police had no real
justification in doing so
He angrily responded, Im an attorney, so you can go fyourself (pgh. 6)

Unfair Assumptions
The author assumed that all cops are racist

I imagined that perhaps these two cops were good

people, but i couldnt stop thinking about what the
Santa Monica police had done to me

Fay Wells, also assumes that her race is the

reason why she was arrested

Because something about me- a 5foot7, 125 pound

black woman- frightened this man with a gun

How the Author Uses the Rhetorical

Triangle
TopicRacism and how
it was shown
towards this
woman from her
neighbor and
from the police
officers

PurposeTo inform people

that racism is
still prevalent
and that it
occurs more
often than we
assume

PathosThe audience
refers to all
americans;
those who are
victims and
those who are
sources of
racism

How the Author Uses the Rhetorical

Triangle
EthosThe credibility
comes from her
ethnicity, an
African American
woman

LogosHer logic stems

from the long
history of racism
which includes
how it makes
people act

KairosUniversity of
Missouri
students were
involved in antiracism protests

Discussion Questions
Do you think what happened to
Wells was an act of racism?
If you were put in this situation,
what would you do?
After listening to this story, do you
think its important to know your
neighbors?