Crosswalk Cathy

Overview

Crosswalk Cathy, sometimes spelled "Crosswalk Kathy," refers to the nickname given to a female pedestrian who yelled racist epithets toward a black driver in Scottsdale, Arizona. The driver shared the incident on Instagram, where some compared it to a string of white-cop caller nicknames in which white people have been caught on camera engaging in racist behavior, such as calling authorities without cause on people of color.

Background

On February 16th, 2019, Instagram^[1] user @therealsmoketaylor uploaded a video of a woman shouting racial epithets and insults toward him as he drove his car near her. In the video, the woman screams, "Fuck you, you n*gger […] Tupac is dead. I killed him. I put a bullet through the fucker’s head […] He is a dead fucking n*gger. He is an ugly fucking homosexual rapist fucking n*gger. Just like you, fucker." The post received more than 2,800 views in three days (shown below).

Developments

Online Reaction

In the comments for the video, Instagram user @wolfgangthetechnician dubbed the woman "Crosswalk Kathy."

On February 19th, the Pheonix New Times^[2] news outlet reported on the story and interviewed John Andrew Taylor, the driver, filmer and victim of the verbal abuse. Taylor said of the experience, "I was shocked. I have never in my life had someone had the gumption and the audacity to come out and say something like this. Not directly to my face, at least […] That lady had every right to say what she did say. While I was in the military, that’s what I fought to protect."

The video was discussed on social media. Twitter ^[5] user @itsreallyalexb tweeted, "This nasty woman epitomises everything that represents the very worst in people. A few years ago, these racists were too afraid to go public. Now they proudly proclaim their hatred and bigotry as if it were a badge of honour." The tweet received more than 65 retweets and 90 likes in 24 hours (shown below, left). Others shared their criticisms of the woman on social media throughout the day following the Instagram post (examples below, center and right).

Media Coverage

Several media outlets covered the incident, including Pheonix New Times,^[2] The Daily Dot, ^[3] Heavy.com^[4] and more.

Search Interest

External References