Tennessee 'Karen' is caught on camera denying black resident entrance to swimming pool as housing complex puts her on disciplinary leave
A college student housing facility in Tennessee has placed one of its employees on disciplinary leave after she was accused of racially profiling a black resident by refusing her and her friends access to the on-site swimming pool.
The incident from last Tuesday was filmed by the young black woman who then posted the video to her Twitter page, where it went viral.
The young woman was with two of her friends who are also black.
They are standing a few feet away from the entrance to the swimming facility at the Knox Ridge housing complex that is home to students attending the nearby University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
A white woman who works for the Knox Ridge student housing facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, was accused of racial profiling after she refused to allow a young black woman who said she lived in the complex access to the on-site swimming pool
The young black woman and two of her friends who are also black were not allowed into the pool at the Knox Ridge apartment complex last Tuesday in Knoxville, Tennessee. Video filmed by the black woman who lives at the residence shows white people allowed to enter
'This woman automatically assumed that we didn't live there and stopped us before we could go inside,' wrote the student, whose Twitter handle is @royaal_e
A white employee of Knox Ridge, who was later identified online as Cheryl Eastman, is seen standing at the entrance.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Eastman seeking comment.
The young woman tries to explain to Eastman that she lives at the complex and should be allowed access to the pool.
As other residents are seen entering the facility, Eastman claims that she never saw the young woman before, and thus doesn’t believe that she lives there.
‘I live here,’ the young black woman tells Eastman, who is holding the door open while she is being recorded.
‘I’m sub-leasing.’ She then gives her address at the complex.
‘We can’t have any guests,’ Eastman replies.
‘But I live here,’ the young black woman says.
Another video posted by the young resident shows the employee, Cheryl Eastman, providing her with an email address to file a complaint
The employee, Cheryl Eastman (left), has been placed on disciplinary leave, the housing complex announced. The unnamed black woman who was denied entry is seen right
‘Residents can’t have guests,’ Eastman says.
The student then wonders why she isn’t allowed into the facility while others are. In the video, at least one white student is seen entering the building.
‘How are you going to automatically assume that I don’t live here?’ the student asks Eastman.
‘Because I know her,’ Eastman says. ‘I know everybody that lives here.’
The student replies: ‘You don’t know everybody that lives here because I live here.
‘Just because you don’t know me doesn’t mean I don’t live here…That’s very rude of you to just assume that I don’t live here.’
The student then asks: ‘Is there a reason you just assume that I don’t live here?’
‘[You assume] a black woman doesn’t live here but you can let this white woman in and assume she lives here.’
Eastman denies that she is denying entry to the student because she is black.
‘It’s not about that,’ Eastman says.
To which the student replies: ‘It is about that…Clearly [it is], because you see three young women of color walk up to go to the pool and you stop us before we even get to the door.’
Eastman then claims that the student didn’t fill out ‘paperwork,’ which the young woman denies.
Knox Ridge Apartments is a housing complex that serves students enrolled at the nearby University of Tennessee in Knoxville
The above image shows the 'lazy river' swimming pool that is accessible to residents
‘I’ve been living here since March, paying rent since March,’ the young woman says.
‘How are you going to tell me [that I don’t live here]? You stopped me before I could even get to the door to speak to anyone.’
The young black student posted another video showing Eastman sitting at her desk. She gives the student a piece of paper with the email address of her supervisor.
The email address is that of Casey Schuler, who is director of operations at University Partners, the property management company based in Dallas, Texas.
![‘Knox Ridge is aware of the incident that occurred [yesterday] involving a staff member and resident,’ a statement from the housing facility read. ‘We have placed the employee on disciplinary leave while we review this matter further.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/06/15/14/29628472-8422165-image-a-26_1592227419851.jpg)
‘Knox Ridge is aware of the incident that occurred [yesterday] involving a staff member and resident,’ a statement from the housing facility read. ‘We have placed the employee on disciplinary leave while we review this matter further.'
DailyMail.com has reached out to Schuler for comment.
The day after the video was posted to social media, Knox Ridge announced that Eastman was placed on disciplinary leave.
‘Knox Ridge is aware of the incident that occurred [yesterday] involving a staff member and resident,’ a statement from the housing facility read.
‘We have placed the employee on disciplinary leave while we review this matter further.
‘As a community, we have absolutely no tolerance for discrimination – inadvertent or otherwise.
‘We intend to revisit our training program for all staff, in order to do our part to prevent situations like this happening in the future.
‘Our top priority is ensuring our residents feel at home and welcome.’
Two people on Twitter who claimed to know Eastman wrote that they did not believe she was racist.
Two people on Twitter who claimed to know Eastman wrote that they did not believe she was racist. ‘Cheryl always treated me with the upmost respect and I've never seen her disrespect or profile anybody of color,' tweeted Marcus Cordier
Another Twitter user wrote: ‘Agreed. Personally know this person. Far from racist.'
‘I lived at Knox ridge for 2 years 2016-2018,’ tweeted Marcus Cordier.
‘Cheryl always treated me with the upmost respect and I've never seen her disrespect or profile anybody of color.
‘I'm sorry for your bad experience with her but I really think she just didn't know you.’
Another Twitter user wrote: ‘Agreed. Personally know this person. Far from racist.
‘More like the person you’re going to see volunteering to to make the world a better place.
‘Sad to see an ally get eviscerated on twitter over a possible misunderstanding.’
The Knox Ridge incident is the latest in a series of viral videos featuring 'Karens' - a derogatory term made popular on social media which is used to describe a white woman usually above the age of 30 who complains about relatively insignificant and mundane things out of a sense of perceived entitlement.
The incident in Tennessee is the latest involving a so-called 'Karen'. Lisa Alexander (left) called San Francisco police on Friday after she accused her Filipino neighbor of defacing his own private property by writing Black Lives Matter. Lauren Balsamo (right) coughed on customers inside a New York bagel store last week after she was told to wear a facial covering
In Los Angeles, a woman dubbed 'Susan' was filmed attacking her neighbor's car with two hammers and yelling at witnesses to 'get the f**k out of this neighborhood' and 'go back to Mexico '
In Arizona, a white woman was slapped across the face after she was caught on camera making racist remarks to another shopper at a gas station last week
Lena Hernandez, 56, also known on social media as 'Torrance Karen,' was identified by police as the woman who launched a racist rant at an Asian woman exercising at Charles H. Wilson Park in Torrance, California, last week
Over the weekend, a San Francisco 'Karen' - Lisa Alexander - apologized after she was filmed on social media accusing a Filipino man of breaking the law because he was writing Black Lives Matter on a wall outside his own property.
Alexander has since apologized for calling the police on the neighbor.
In New York City, a woman was accused of being a 'Karen' after she coughed on customers inside a bagel store in response to her being called out for not wearing a facial covering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Los Angeles, a woman dubbed 'Susan' was filmed attacking her neighbor's car with two hammers and yelling at witnesses to 'get the f**k out of this neighborhood' and 'go back to Mexico'.
In Arizona, a white woman was slapped across the face after she was caught on camera making racist remarks to another shopper at a gas station last week.
In California, a white woman linked with three racist attacks against Asian people was identified by Californian police.
Lena Hernandez, 56, was named the 'Torrance Karen' after a video emerged of her verbally harassing a woman who was exercising in Wilson Park and telling her to 'go back to whatever f****** Asian country you came from.'
Tennessee 'Karen' is caught on camera denying black resident entrance to swimming pool as housing complex puts her on disciplinary leave
![Tennessee 'Karen' is caught on camera denying black resident entrance to swimming pool as housing complex puts her on disciplinary leave]()
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June 15, 2020
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