Remember when your phone was for making calls and possibly sending a text messages?
Well, who would have thought that the advancement of technology would lead to everyone having a video camera in their pocket, that is accessible at a moment’s notice and able to present all manner of confrontations immediately to an eager public, desperate to see who has done what and to whom.
Of course, there is a massive advantage to this type of tech, and no, I am not knocking it, as without it, we would not have the Sarah Jane Comrie content.
The problem is that context is everything, and often we arrive in the middle of a situation and have to try and break down what is occurring without all the facts.
If ever there was a case for the lack of context argument, it might be this one.
So grab your popcorn and settle in, as we will answer the question, what did Sarah Jane Comrie do? The Citi Bike scandal explained.
Who is Sarah Jane Comrie?
Sarah Jane is a physician assistant that completed her undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University in 2011. She would work at the Bellvue Hospital in New York.
What did Sarah Jane Comrie do?
Sarah’s everyday life would suddenly be thrust into the spotlight when an incident occurred over a Citi Bike rental. The viral video posted everywhere would show Sarah arguing with a young Black man, accusing him of taking her rental bike outside her work.
She said the bike was hers. He said it was his.
The ensuing argument saw her employees decide to put her on a leave of absence from her job while they took a closer look at it. The incident would be investigated, and Sarah would have a lawyer that would update the situation, providing proof that Sarah had paid for that bike.
However, statements would be made to the news outlet NewsOne, by the young man involved in the event and his mother, but by request, the names would be changed.
The young Black man’s mother would say that Michael is only seventeen and their life has been in “turmoil” since this happened.
Michael would then put his side of the story forward and explain that he and four friends had been out on Citi Bikes that day and had docked them to rest just before Sarah arrived looking for her rental bike.
Michael and his friends had docked the bikes so they did not exceed the forty-five-minute limit and get charged extra. Sarah would ask each of them for a bike, and the boys politely declined, saying they were still using them.
Sarah would then allegedly lean over Michael’s bike, which he still had his hands on, and scan the QR code. It was around then that the recording of the incident would start.
In the viral video, you can see Sarah shouting for help, but in the video, it is unclear why. She is then seen snatching at one of the phones, which implies that she is pregnant and the incident is harming her unborn child.
Sarah is also seen crying in the video. NYPD has also stated that no 911 call was made regarding the incident.
Since this incident, Sarah Jane Comrie has been accused of being racist and a “Karen.”
Why does Sarah Jane Comrie have a GoFundMe?
A GoFundMe has been set up by Sarah’s family to help her with legal bills and to help her save her reputation and livelihood. The fundraiser was started by Sarah Jane Comrie’s uncle, who stated the incident has “unfairly painted [Comrie] as a racist ‘Karen.'”
The final outcome of this story is still to be declared.
The people involved were using Lyft software. I suggest you talk to Lyft about how it works. Only people with access to the software code can see what it does.
This version leaves out some important points. There is a dispute about what her lawyer’s statement says versus what the young man in the video says happenened before the video begins. She has not made direct statements to te press. Her lawyer made one statement. Per her lawyer’s statement — nobody was on holding the bike when she got on the bike and scanned it. She then pulled the bike out of the dock. It was at that point she was approached by the young man in the video and his friends and someone pushed the bike back into the dock with her on it. This alone IMO explains a lot about why she might seem frightened, confused, and even angry.
She is actually on the bike in the video which would seem difficult for a pregnant woman to do if the young man was on the side of it holding it. Per they young man’s sister (who wasn’t there) she “jumped” over him and “impaled herself” on the bike. Both sides agree that someone pushed her back onto the dock so that her bike locked and was now “free” to be scanned again. The young man sneak scanned the bike again after it was docked and then said it was on his account. He can be seen doing this in the video. She is also trying to scan it in the video but he is blocking the code so she can’t. His arm or hand does seem to make contact with her pregnant belly. She makes him aware of this but he tells her that her stomach is hitting his hand. After she gets off the bike, one of his friends gives up docked ebike he was “saving” and she uses it to go home. The police were never involved. The young man or one of his friends initially put up the video claiming she was trying to steal his bike. Her lawyer also made the receipts available showing that was not the case. Also if you watch the video until the end the young man says a terrible thing to her after she is off the bike. He says he hopes her baby comes out r*t**d*d. That is the only slur anyone uses during the video. The young man and his family started a fundraiser so they can hire a lawyer as they feel he has been damaged by this incident. It is not clear how although he said in an interview that people were saying bad things about after her receipts came out. Ironically, nobody would know about the incident if he hadn’t put out the video labelling her a theif and a racist. Her attorney is also suing media outlets for defamation. The question shouldn’t be what did this woman do. The question should be what has the media done to her. She is suspended from her job. She has recieved death threats. Her life has been competely upended. This isn’t a “get out your popcorn” story. And I will never again visit this site.
Hi Marion,
You have fully lost the context of this article. First of all, this article clearly states that short viral video clips are often taken out of context, leaving audiences not knowing what truly happens.
At the end of the article, we promoted Sarah Jane Comrie’s GoFundMe, and the reason why they’ve set one up.
As the article states, we do not know what truly happened.
We make too many excuses for Karen’s behaviors. Reminds me of psychology. When she started yelling help vs trying to comprehd he was using the bike etc she inserted she was privilege. These behaviors of the ancestors show up so we can gather together and deal with KARMA and make corrections. Until then, the sins and atrocities of the past, will keep showing up. Life lessons show how we discard others to build up some. It is shameful and we must look in the mirror too comprehend our psychopathology….it is extremely necessary to study epigenetics… Do we have memories of our ancestors behaviors operating in us?…. If we do not practice healthy and holistic core principles we are showing an example of lacking self love, self identity, and self responsibility. Blaming others continually is a way to make up for our shortcomings. It is tiring and we must mature and Know Thyself.
@marion. Your comments are a joke. And Mr. Hart you should be ashamed of yourself for that weak response to try and please the fool.
He lawyer will say anything to make her look good. Why is it he created his Twitter page in may 2023, posted a redacted receipt, and has been inactive since he was exposed?
You fools will post anything for traffic. If there’s any way to report this outlet, I will.
“We even promoted her gofunme” what a weak excuse for a new media outlet. Be ashamed if yourselves
Terrible. You should be ashamed of yourself for lying on those children. They have receipts and he never touched her stomach.
This kid is stealing stuff at this young age I believe he will become a hardened criminal when he grows older. The shameless family is even supporting this criminal behaviour.
the support has gone on lines of left vs right. as raw left as I am I totally support this woman. no one saw what happened before . the young man or “child” as he is called posted the video so if he gets any blow back it’s his on fault. His sister called her place of work. nobody but a corporate stooge does that. she had no reason to be scared. yes she did. A bunch of guys ssurrponde her and forcibly pushed the bike bak into low with her on it. they do not have the right to “sue” a bike that was not signed out to him. now who should get the kill is less important than the vitriol thrown at this woman.calling her very name in the book. and Going after her job? nobody decent does that
Yes, she’s acting like a crazy psycho. But did she pay for the bike? If so, that man (or boy, take your pick) was in the wrong. I also wonder if this business of calling him a “child” is right. Teens want to be treated like men, but when they get in trouble, I hear people say, “He’s just a child.”
She paid for the bike so it was hers to use. If I was him I would have given her the bike so that a pregnant woman would be able to get home. I was taught to respect women when I was growing up. That’s what men do.
There are actual receipts showing it was in his possession. Maybe looking into it more before making assumptions.
Sorry, but WHILE the bike is re-docking, because you want to reset the timer in order not to pay more, the bike does NOT “belong” to anyone at that point. If a bike is redocked, you can’t hold on to the handle and say to anyone, “this is my bike.” It is NOT. This story has NOTHING to do with race, it has to do with civility, and courtesy. We have been taught that when you see a pregnant woman, for instance standing in a packed subway train, you get up, and give up your seat to the pregnant woman. That is a rule of civility that is understood in every country of the world, regardless of race, economic status, etc, etc. That these kids fail to understand this, is a red-flag, proven by the abhorrent insult made by one of those “kids” to the woman’s unborn baby. Disgusting! These kids need to be taught what polite, and civilized behavior means.