An Eastpointe woman was cited $385 for talking too loud in her neighborhood on Monday (May 31). She says race is the reason.
Diamond Robinson told FOX 2 she was walking up and down the street on the phone when a neighbor approached her and asked, "Do you think that you can get off your phone or talk lower."
Robinson said she told the woman, "Get out of my face," and walked past her.
A few minutes after the encounter with her neighbor, the police arrived, and Robinson began to video the incident.
"I'm not doing anything wrong by walking up and down the street talking on my phone," Robinson said in the video.
Robinson told FOX 2 that she was targeted because she is black.
In a 25-minute Facebook live video, Robinson explains what happened and told officers that she would not be answering their questions.
The officers wrote Robinson a $385 ticket for being a public nuisance. Police said they wrote the ticket because she "could be heard from approximately 150 feet away" and refused to participate in the investigation.
Police say the civil infraction ticket was the "least intrusive" option compared to issuing her a misdemeanor violation or arresting her.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the police wrote, "The officers acted professionally when speaking with Ms. Robinson. Officers responded to all police dispatches and had no option but to go to the scene of the complaint. We expect our officers to maintain public peace. This can often be accomplished through discussions and negotiations, but sometimes enforcement action has to be taken."
The police also wrote that both women made additional complaints about each other later that day.
Robinson went into the police station to make a complaint against her neighbor and the anonymous caller made a complaint alleging that Robinson had posted "threatening, harassing, and intimidating messages about her on social media."
The police department said they plan to reach out to both women to "facilitate a mediation."
Robinson told FOX 2 that she plans to fight the ticket.
Photo: Getty Images