Latest news with #Karens'


New York Post
07-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Albany will slice a lifeline for New York's abused kids — unless Kathy Hochul takes a stand
Want to report a case of child abuse? Better be prepared to give your name and phone number, too. The state Legislature last month passed a bill that would outlaw anonymous reports to the state's central hotline for child abuse and neglect. The bill now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul's signature. Advertisement But the governor should think twice before putting her stamp of approval on this one: The claims of activists pushing this legislation don't hold up to scrutiny — and discouraging reports of child maltreatment will put more kids in danger. For years, advocates have claimed that anonymous reports are nothing more than a means of facilitating harassment of innocent parents. They have insisted that embittered exes, devious landlords seeking to oust tenants, even nosy 'Karens' who don't like the way another person parents can use anonymous reports to unfairly put families in the authorities' crosshairs. Advertisement 'False reports waste time and resources that could be spent on actual cases of child abuse,' California state Assembly member Reggie Jones-Sawyer wrote of a similar law that recently passed in the Golden State. 'They compound the suffering of families that are already struggling.' 'This bill will transform people's lives,' asserted Juval Scott of The Bronx Defenders, a public-defense nonprofit, who used Juneteenth as a pretext to claim the new rules will protect 'thousands of families from the threat of family surveillance and separation.' Scott, along with many other advocates, claims that anonymous reporting perpetuates racial bias. Advertisement As the bill language itself argues, 'meritless' anonymous allegations drive 'inexcusable racial disparities that disproportionately impact Black and Brown families,' subjecting them to child-welfare investigations 'that can forever change a family.' Advocates are correct that anonymous reports are less likely to be substantiated than reports from social-service workers. They are far less likely to cause children to be taken immediately into foster care. But when you look at the long-term outcomes of anonymous calls, the picture shifts radically. A recent paper in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect found that, according to national data, children who have been reported anonymously are more likely to be re-reported to authorities than those reported by social service workers — and also more likely to end up in foster care at a later date. Advertisement In other words, anonymous reports are not frivolous reports. Only a very small percentage of kids who are reported for abuse and neglect ever wind up in foster care. Those who do must be investigated thoroughly by a child welfare agency — and a judge must sign off on any removal. The study, published in March, found that kids who are reported anonymously are ultimately more likely to be removed from their families than kids who are reported by medical personnel, law enforcement, child-care workers or education personnel. Keep up with today's most important news Stay up on the very latest with Evening Update. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters So who are these anonymous callers? It's hard to tell, but the data indicate that anonymous reporters most closely resemble another category of people commonly known to raise alarms in child maltreatment cases: friends and neighbors. Why would friends and neighbors want to remain anonymous? The same reason anyone reporting a crime might want to do so: They do not want to anger the perpetrators — and in some cases, they might fear for their personal safety. Proponents of New York's rule change say that the hotline's reports will remain 'confidential,' even if reporters are required to give their names to the state. But many potential reporters will rightly be nervous anyway. If you hear your violent neighbor beating his kids, would you want to leave your name with authorities? Advertisement There's no doubt that some anonymous calls to state child-abuse hotlines are fraudulent. But the same is true of any crime. The answer to such an egregious abuse of the system is to investigate and punish anyone who uses it to make false claims — not to remove a potential lifeline for children at grave risk. Suppressing calls to a child-abuse hotline only helps adults. Hochul should remember the real victims as she considers this ill-advised measure. Naomi Schaefer Riley is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.


New York Post
29-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Not OK, Karen! Court loses it when lawyer calls someone ‘Karen' in legal papers: ‘Borderline racist, sexist, and ageist'
You Karen't say that! A British court tore into an attorney who called someone a 'Karen' in papers for a discrimination case — calling the term 'borderline racist, sexist, and ageist,' according to a report. A British employment tribunal judge ruled that Karen is a 'borderline racist, sexist, and ageist,' slang term. Witoon – Sylvia Constance, a 74-year-old black woman, was suing for discrimination after she was axed from a charity company called Harpenden Mencap — but an employment tribunal took issue when the ousted worker's rep used the phrase in court papers, the Independent reported. Attorney Christine Yates argued leadership at the charity — supports adults with learning disabilities — leadership 'acted like stereotypical Karens' — claiming they weaponized their privilege to suspend and fire Constance over 'fictitious claims, the report said. Constance accused the organization of unfair dismissal, racial and age discrimination and of launching a campaign to oust her based on prejudice, the outlet said. Yates alleged that a white, female management team had colluded with white male residents under their care to create a racist and misogynistic smear campaign, the outlet reported. Tribunal judge George Alliot took issue with the use of the term 'Karen' in legal filings. – Tribunal judge George Alliot took issue with Yates's use of the term 'Karen' in legal filings. 'We note Christine Yates uses the slang term 'Karen', which is a pejorative and borderline racist, sexist, and ageist term,' Alliot said. The tribunal ultimately dismissed Constance's claims, siding with the charity for firing her in June 2023 over an 'irretrievable breakdown' of workplace relationships, the outlet reported. Alliot also ruled that the complaints against Constance were 'legitimate,' the outlet said.


New York Post
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
King Charles's goddaughter wipes video criticizing Meghan Markle from her website after backlash
King Charles' goddaughter has deleted a video from her website that featured Brooke Shields criticizing Meghan Markle. India Hicks, who is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten, had initially featured the clip prominently on her Substack page. The video showed Shields describing the Duchess of Sussex as 'too precious' following the 2024 SXSW panel. 4 King Charles' goddaughter, India Hicks, has deleted a video from her website that featured Brooke Shields criticizing Meghan Markle. @indiahicksstyle/Instagram Hicks, 57, was immediately targeted by fans of the 'Suits' alum, who had contacted her online with offensive language, The Post understands. 'Damn. Now I need to write f–k you on Brooke's social media. Apparently something about Meghan triggers the b–h in some women,' one person wrote online, per the Daily Mail. Others accused Shields and Hicks of being 'racist Karens' in the video. The former former fashion model turned entrepreneur has since replaced the clip with a feature video about London's best patisseries to avoid further scrutiny. 4 India Hicks is the daughter of Lady Pamela Mountbatten, who had served as the late Queen Elizabeth II's lady-in-waiting. Getty Images Hicks' mother, Lady Pamela Mountbatten, had served as the lady-in-waiting to the late Queen Elizabeth II. She and late interior designer David Hicks had welcomed India in 1967. India, for her part, had served as a bridesmaid at the king's wedding to the late Princess Diana in 1981. The 57-year-old interviewed Shields, 60, on her podcast about various topics, including her awkward encounter with Markle. 4 In the video, Shields described the Duchess of Sussex as 'too precious' following the 2024 SXSW panel. SXSW Conference & Festivals via Getty Images During their conversation, Shields revealed she had interrupted the As Ever founder during a live speech at an International Women's Day event in Austin, Texas, in March 2024, which was moderated by journalist Katie Couric. 'Katie asks the first question to Meghan and she talks about how at a young age, she was already advocating for women,' Shields told Hicks on her 'An Unexpected Journey' podcast. 'She starts telling a story about how when she was 11 — and she keeps saying, 'Well, when I was 11, I saw this commercial and they were talking about how washing dishes was for women' And she said, 'I didn't think only women wash dishes. It wasn't fair, so I wrote to the company.'' 'She kept saying she was 11!' the 'Mother of the Bride' star exclaimed. 'She wrote to the company, they changed the text, they changed the commercial. It was just too precious, and I was like, 'They're not going to want to sit here for 45 minutes and listen to anybody be precious or serious.'' Shields, 60, recalled intervening at one point in an effort to switch up the mood. 'I go, 'Excuse me, I'm so sorry, I've got to interrupt you there for one minute.' I was trying not to be rude, but I wanted to be funny because it was so serious,' Shields remembered. 4 Markle speaks onstage during the 'Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen' panel during the 2024 SXSW Conference. Getty Images 'I just want to give everybody here a context as to how we're different. When I was 11, I was playing a prostitute,' she joked, referencing her 1978 historical drama, 'Pretty Baby.' 'The place went insane,' Shields shared, claiming the crowd became 'more relaxed' after her comments.