Woman Faces Backlash Over Video Of Her Calling Cops Over A Girl Selling Water

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Woman Faces Backlash Over Video Of Her Calling Cops Over A Girl Selling Water

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It seems like every day brings a whole new scandal and June 23 was no different.

A video of a woman from San Francisco has gone viral after she was recorded calling the police on an eight-year-old girl named Jordan, who was selling water bottles without a permit.

According to Jordan's mother, Erin Austin, after she lost her job she promised her daughter that they could go on a trip to Disneyland if she helped raise money for the trip.

While Jordan decided to sell water bottles outside her family's apartment building, the innocent fundraiser drew the wrath of Alison Ettel, 44, who asked if she had a permit.

Austin quickly intervened, but Ettel was quick to go on her phone.

This prompted Austin to film the spat, which saw Ettel crouch behind a wall to avoid being recorded.

"This woman don't wanna let a little girl sell some water," Austin can be heard saying in the clip. "She calling the police on an 8-year-old little girl," adding that the whole world is going to see her.  

According to Ettel, she only "pretended" to call the police, as she was agitated over the commotion Jordan had been causing, and had nothing to do with race.

"They were screaming about what they were selling," she said. "It was literally nonstop. It was every two seconds, 'Come and buy my water.' It was continuous and it wasn't a soft voice, it was screaming, she said.

Ettel, who's the CEO of Treatwell Health (a company that produces cannabis tinctures), said she had been working from her own office and didn't shut her windows because it would've "been too hot."

Since the video was released, Ettel has been dubbed #PermitPatty by social media users and has even received death threats with "horrible, horrible images."

In an interview with Today, Ettel broke down as she explained her side of the story.

I was trying to be polite but I was stern and I said 'Please, I'm trying to work and you're yelling, you're screaming, and people have open windows, it's a hot day, can you keep it down?" Ettel recalled.

However Austin refuted her claims, and said the Treatwell Health CEO never asked to keep it down and she must face the consequences of her actions.

"That woman thought that she could use her white privilege and it didn't work," Austin said.

However, this story does come with a happy ending. Jordan's cousin, Raj, revealed musician Jonathon Brannon gave the young girl four tickets to Disneyland after hearing about her plight on social media. When Jordan heard the good news, her excitement could be heard across the neighborhood.

Do you think Ettel deserves the public backlash? Comment and let us know!

[H/T: Global News, Daily Mail, Today]

Maya has been working at Shared for a year. She just begrudgingly spent $200 on a gym membership. Contact her at maya@shared.com