(NewsNation) — A 71-year-old New Jersey man called 911 to report that he was “scared” by a “little Black woman” he saw across the street “wearing a hood.”
Monique Joseph clarified on “CUOMO” that the “little Black woman” was, in fact, her 9-year-old daughter, Bobbi, who was outside her home catching bugs. She believes their neighbor, Gordon Lawshe, racially profiled the girl. And Bobbi, according to Joseph, “hasn’t been the same since the incident.”
“This is personal. This is about my family. My job right now is securing my home, making sure that she (Bobbi) feels safe emotionally. Giving her the space to express herself, as well as my 13-year-old,” Joseph said Monday night on “CUOMO.”
Joseph and her family moved to their neighborhood of Caldwell, New Jersey, eight years ago. She says they’ve known their neighbor personally through interactions at the local community center, where her girls went to summer camp.
“This came to us. We didn’t go after this, obviously,” Joseph said. “And I really don’t have the answers. I’m just trying to figure things out as the days go along.”
Joseph has tried to have a conversation with Lawshe since the incident, and his response to her was that he thought Bobbi was “a lost little girl.”
Lawshe has apologized, but Joseph told “CUOMO” she is still in disbelief.