Nationwide — Lisa Alexander, a CEO of a skincare company in San Francisco, has publicly apologized for calling the police on James Juanillo, a Filipino man who wrote the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ on a wall in front of his home.
A video has gone viral showing Alexander confronting him, claiming to know the owner of the property, and then calling 911. She, however, had been lying because Juanillo was the owner.
“She (Alexander) decided to call men with guns because of chalk art,” said Juanillo, who has lived in the neighborhood in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights for 18 years.
A few minutes later, police responded to Alexander’s call but they did not even get out of the car. Juanillo figured it must be because police officers in the area knew him somehow.
After receiving backlash, Alexander issued an apology statement. Her skincare company, LaFace Skincare, also made its website offline.
“I want to apologize directly to Mr. Juanillo. There are not enough words to describe how truly sorry I am for being disrespectful to him last Tuesday when I made the decision to question him about what he was doing in front of his home,” she wrote, according to CBS News. “I should have minded my own business. The last 48 hours have taught me that my actions were those of someone who is not aware of the damage caused by being ignorant and naive to racial inequalities.”
“When I watch the video, I am shocked and sad that I behaved the way I did,” she continued. “It was disrespectful to Mr. Juanillo and I am deeply sorry for that. I did not realize at the time that my actions were racist and have learned a painful lesson. I am taking a hard look at the meaning behind white privilege and am committed to growing from this experience.”
Moreover, Alexander said she is willing to personally talk to Juanillo about the incident.
“I would love to have coffee with Mr. Juanillo in our neighborhood so I can apologize in person and share a dialogue where I can continue to learn and grow and be a better person.”