On May 12, pregnant hospital worker Sarah Comrie went viral for an argument she had with a Black man over a Citi Bike in Manhattan. Comrie and her attorney, Justin Marino, claim they have receipts that prove the bike was hers. However, it was her behavior in the video that has the internet upset.
In the clip that circulated, Comrie screamed “help,” cried and said the man was endangering her unborn child. Following the incident, Comrie was placed on leave from her job. In addition, a spokesperson of the NYC public hospital system called the video “disturbing” in a statement.
In response to the public outrage Comrie’s uncle, Bob Roe, started a GoFundMe page to not only assist with legal fees but to salvage her reputation. Roe called the page “Help Sarah Comrie fight being branded a ‘Karen.’” So far, it has nearly raised its goal of $120,000 from almost 3,100 donations.
The description for the GoFundMe reads:
[quote] “Sarah is a dedicated healthcare worker who is six months pregnant. She holds racial justice and equity dear, and has dedicated her life to serving NYC’s most challenged individuals. She does not wish to become a cause celebre, but the legal bills to save her livelihood and her reputation obviously are mounting.”
Marino has stated that his client is being wrongly targeted and defended Comrie’s actions in the viral video. “In blocking the QR code, this individual’s arm was touching my client’s pregnant stomach, a condition of which she had made them aware,” he explained.
“Throughout this time and for the remainder of the video, roughly five individuals were telling her to get off the bike and heckling her. The fact anyone would treat another person like this is tragic, especially a visibly pregnant woman.”
Conservatives have used this incident to say how Comrie is being singled out to push a racially driven agenda, but the clip shows how she simply did this to herself.