Greys Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff heads a medical drama that has been applauded for the diversity in its casting. As one of the few primetime shows to feature several Black main cast members, Greys Anatomy has spent 16 seasons depicting Black people as successful surgeons and layered, complicated and fully realized characters, a stark and infrequent reprieve from the typical thugs and criminals or single token character on a major TV show. Now Vernoff is using her platform to show how she as a white person has been treated differently throughout her life because of the colour of her skin.

In a thread posted to Twitter on June 15, Vernoff shares several instances from her youth when her actions could have landed her in jail or dead had she not been white. Starting when she was 15-years-old and was caught shop lifting, Vernoff runs through her list of crimes, or mistakes, that never amounted to more than a few months of probation.

Vernoff shares several stories about instances that occurred in her late teens and early 20s, including a time when she assaulted a man in front of police officers. The writer could have been tried as an adult and faced major repercussions but did not.

Noting that she has no criminal record, Vernoff poses the question to her followers of whether they think she would have deserved to have been shot for any of her crimes. Touching on the recent death of Rayshard Brooks, the 27-year-old Atlanta man who was shot in the back and killed by police after falling asleep drunk in his car at a Wendys parking lot, Vernoff writes, Im asking the white people reading this to think about the crimes youve committed. (Note: You dont call them crimes. You and your parents call them mistakes.) Think of all the mistakes youve made that you were allowed to survive.

Many fans began sharing their own stories of times they committed crimes and were released with no mark on their record and no threat to the life. Director Ava DuVernay shared Vernoffs tweet, calling it one of the best threads on the criminalization of Black people that Ive read lately.

Filmmaker Qasim Basir shared his own thread, recalling all the times that he was harassed, arrested and fined for simply being Black or for petty crimes, like having an expired license.

Terri Kopp, a writer and producer on The Chi, creator of In Contempt and executive producer on Black Mafia Family, responded to Vernoffs tweet with her own story. Koop acknowledges her own racist ideas, noting that oppression can even come from well-meaning liberals.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Garrett Rolfe, the officer who shot and killed Brooks, has been charged with felony murder and 10 additional charges. Prosecutors laid charges against Rolfe after reviewing eight videos taken of Brooks interaction with the police and his death. Second officer Devin Brosman also faces three charges, including aggravated assault, which he is being charged with for standing on Brooks shoulder after he was shot.

Link:
'Grey's Anatomy' showrunner shares Twitter thread about white privilege - The Loop