Photo: Tim Clayton – Corbis / Contributor via Getty Images
  /  05.18.2023

The saga of Citi Bike Karen continues. On May 13, video began circulating of a white woman in New York City allegedly trying to take a rentable bicycle from a Black youth. After attempting to gain sympathy with fake tears as the young cyclist insisted it was charged on his account, she walked away. Now, her legal team is fighting back.

The woman’s attorney, Justin Marino, spoke to The New York Post about what happened. According to him, the video that went viral was “incomplete,” the publication reported today (May 18). He claimed his client, a health care worker with NYC Health + Hospitals, got on an available bike, “which no individuals were on or touching,” and paid for it using the Citi Bike app on her phone.

As she attempted to leave, the woman was purportedly met by the young people in the video. “One or more individuals in that group physically pushed her bike (with her on it) back into the docking station, causing it to re-lock,” Marino said. He went on to claim that one of them blocked her from scanning the code to rent the bike again.

“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 said. “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 that anyone would treat another person like this is tragic, especially a visibly pregnant woman,” he added. “Simply, her entire life has been focused on helping others, irrespective of their background.” Watch the clip below.

After the video began making news, NYC Health + Hospitals responded with a statement sharing that they placed their employee on leave.

“We are aware of the video involving a health care provider off-duty and away from the hospital campus. The incident in the video is disturbing. The provider is currently out on leave and will remain on leave pending a review,” the statement read, as seen below. “As a health system, we are committed to providing an environment for our patients and staff that is free from discrimination of any kind.”

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