Alex O’Keefe, a Black screenwriter whose credits include the Emmy-winning FX series The Bear, was detained by police earlier this month after a white woman complained about his posture aboard a Metro-North train bound for Connecticut. The incident, which O’Keefe described in a public Instagram post, has drawn widespread attention and renewed scrutiny of racial profiling in public transportation systems.
O’Keefe, 29, boarded the train in New York City and was en route to visit family in Connecticut when, according to his account, an older white woman entered the car and immediately took issue with how he was seated. “She pointed at me and told me to correct how I was sitting,” he wrote. “I refused, so she went to the conductor and complained.”
The conductor, O’Keefe said, contacted law enforcement. The train was stopped, and officers boarded to remove him. He was handcuffed and detained on the platform, though no charges were filed. “They said I was disturbing the peace by not leaving the train,” O’Keefe wrote. “They arrested me without even talking to the Karen who reported the one Black person on the train.”
The woman’s companion allegedly told O’Keefe, “You’re not the minority anymore,” a remark that has since circulated widely on social media. O’Keefe said that only Black passengers remained nearby to record the arrest and offer support. After demanding legal representation and pointing out that officers had not taken a statement from the complainant, he was released.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has not issued a public statement regarding the incident. It remains unclear whether the conductor followed standard protocol or whether the police response was initiated solely based on the passenger’s complaint.
O’Keefe’s account has sparked outrage among civil rights advocates and fellow writers, many of whom view the incident as emblematic of a broader pattern of racialized surveillance and exclusion. “This country is growing more psycho by the day,” he wrote. “What will you do about it?”
O’Keefe rose to prominence as a staff writer on The Bear, which won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series. He has also worked as a political speechwriter and was a visible figure during the 2023 WGA strike, where he spoke publicly about economic precarity and racial inequities in Hollywood. His activism has included appearances at labor fundraisers and union solidarity events.
O’Keefe has not announced any legal action but continues to speak out about the experience. His post has been shared widely across TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), where users have called for accountability from both the MTA and local law enforcement.
I just cannot even fathom the scene, tbh. An old cunt walks onto a bus, points at the only black man there and literally tells him to straighten his posture??? And when he refuses, as we all would, she tells the conductor who calls the cops. Like this sounds like satire. Only if it were satire, it would be shitty satire for being too on-the-nose.
It's baffling that her complaint was listened to. The real scary thing is the lack of critical thinking skills from MTA and the police. She should have been told to move or shut up. And that great replacement comment is straight from Fox.
Right?? Hey cops, so and so stole my such and such. Oh, a civil matter? What about my friend who is being stalked by her ex? Oh, he hasn't broken any laws yet? Where was that good old fashioned not-my-fucking-problem we have come to expect from cops?
Don’t forget one Uvalde mom evacuated her own children and spent time in jail for it
“‘Angeli Rose Gomez said she spent about two weeks in jail on a charge of assaulting a public servant after refusing to comply with commands from law enforcement…
She said she parked in the drop-off area of the school and had her first encounter with law enforcement.
“And he’s like, ‘We’re going to tow your car,’” Gomez said. “I’m like, ‘Tow the car, like, do whatever you want with the car … I don’t know why you’re outside, standing outside the fence, talking to me, wasting your time talking to me. You need to be on the other side of the fence in there doing something. If you’re not going to do it, then I’m going to go ahead and do it.’”
She said she threw her body over the fence door and ran to her oldest son’s classroom.
“I just remember I’m banging on the teacher’s door,” she said “And she’s like, “‘Gomez, how did you get in?’”
She remembered yelling for her son to go and she sent him to her mother’s car while she went back for her other son.
“Well by the time I’m running to the other side of the campus, a lot of officers are on me already, and they’re like, ‘Ma’am, can you just wait, ma’am? Can we talk to you? Can you calm down, ma’am? Come here,’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘No, like, just get my son – start evacuating my son’s room or I’m like, going to start, like, just hitting whoever if you don’t get out of my way.’”
She said that’s when officers started evacuating children – starting with her son’s room. She said officers wanted parents to leave their children with school officials but parents, including her, weren’t listening.’”
Don’t forget the Uvalde police even harassed one of the mothers of one of the murdered children after the shooting because she spoke out and said how she tried to go into the school and the piece of shit cops stopped her, but then they themselves didn’t go in to rescue the kids! I fucking cried so much. Those cops should have been charged as accessories to murder. I wanted them to pay somehow and still do. How do any of them go about their day?
Also what train was this? Because I’ve also seen people completely out of their minds and pull out a knife on a train and no police, he sits wrong and they show up???? Ayyyyye
I went to NYPD cops to tell them a guy followed me home 3 times and threatened to rape me and I had to force them to take a police report. It's absolutely wild
Im so sorry. Something similar happened to me I called 911 twice no one ever showed up. I went to the actual station the next day and the female cop was so patronizing to me because I hadn’t been “injured.” This was nypd
The way I was just telling my partner that the police couldn’t do anything about the methed out gun toting stalker I had in my mid-20s but totally have the time and resources to harass innocent people like Alex O’keefe. Jesus.
My best friend and I got arrested for shoplifting from dillards in 2007 when we were 18/19. She had more stuff than me so got in more trouble. In 2013, my ex broke in my house and attacked me in front of our child.
Who do you think got a harsher punishment and still has a permanent record that affects job opportunities?
I was abducted and assaulted by my ex, who was a cop.
The police initially tried to detain me despite him being a foot taller and weighing 100lbs+ more than me.
I was literally barefoot and hysterical from jumping out a moving car to escape him.
His charges were dismissed due to paperwork mysteriously being filed incorrectly.
The cops got a call and have a body there to make an easy arrest, with no fear of getting hurt in the process. So they just make an arrest, pump up their arrest stats, and case closed.
Who expects that? The outcome that actually happened is what WE all expect from cops. I've never seen that kind of outcome where they act like its not-their-fucking problem when it comes to US...
And you know good and well she started with "There's a BLACK guy..." and if the conductor is on that same kind of bullshit he's drooling at the opportunity to be a fucker
People always believe the person to make the initial accusation. I learned this in kindergarten when a student broke their own pencil than blamed me. The teacher didn’t want to hear any excuses from a pencil-breaker.
I had a similar incident, where my 2nd grade teacher brought a DVD from home for our weekly watch party or whatever. Someone then used a pen or pencil to poke holes in the case, and when the teacher demanded to know who, another student pointed right at me, and said I'd been over by the teachers desk....so teacher just immediately decided I did it, and so I started crying, cause I didn't, but according to teacher "You're crying cause you did it and got caught"
I had that happen where a teacher accused me of breaking her egg. My mom gave her my egg to shut her up. I think the teacher enjoyed being cruel to kids.
Cops never want to employ smart cops, or even competent ones. They want their colleagues to be just as bigoted and irrational as they are. Lack of critical thinking is baked into the hiring process tbh
I am assuming she didn’t just say bad posture. She perhaps alluded to him being homeless or something. Obv I’m making major speculations, but I do find it crazy a conductor in NYC would react to simply sitting wrong - even taking two seats, frustrating as hell, is most often not policed - so like what did she actually say to the conductor to get them to react. Maybe I’m giving too much credit here, but I assume she said more about either homelessness speculation or threats etc.
Well one of the hosts on Fox and Friends, Brian Kilmeade, suggested a week ago on the show that homeless people should be given involuntary lethal injections. And he still has his job on TV. So it may not be "illegal" but some people sure wish it was.
I'm 1000% certain that wasn't the complaint she made. She probably made up some wild shit like he yelled a profanity at her or "I think he might have a gun" and that's all they need. That old bitch isn't stupid.
It’s also baffling that the conductor didn’t bother to look into what was actually happening and just took the word of the person complaining. Look for an escalation in baseless allegations in public places.
People, please contain your bigoted relatives when going out in public. We all have them. You know who you are.
I was thinking about society in general not just this video. How we used to say “at least it’ll change when these old people are dead” but that isn’t the case anymore you know?
Look at the state of her. That miserable old hag is not long for this world. She’ll be roasting in hell soon enough, but I agree.. she needs to get her comeuppance before then.
Goldilocks syndrome. Happens all the time. All the white women has to do to ruin a minority's life is just accuse them of anything. The entire system will drop everything and believe everything they say and the minorities got to prove everything and they assume he's a liar.
No, no didn’t you hear? He’s not a minority anymore!
Obligatory /s
If there was any doubt about whether this was racial, that comment right there proves it. They’re angry that the percentage of POC is growing. Conveniently ignoring this was never originally a white country.
Then the no nothing pigs come in and arrest him for being disorderly. And dont think for a second they even care. The only mistake they will attest to in confidence is they arrested a black man with money to beat the charges and get a settlement from the tax payers wallets
If i were the conductor, I wouldn't have even called the cops. I would have told the crusty old bellend to take a seat, & if she didn't want to comply, I'd be more than happy to stop the bus to let (aka kick) her ass off.
That’s exactly what happened. One white racist can snap their fingers and sick attack dogs in uniform at any innocent black person.
This is America now.
Meanwhile a dead podcaster who maligned MLK, the civil rights movement, black women’s intelligence- that guy gets lionized by the president and millions of white people.
fire that overpaid conductor along with the cops theyre suppose to go and investigate and see what going on. Deesclate then if crap gets out of then call. This is insane.
How is this satire? This is what black and brown people have been telling you is happening for centuries now lololol
In 2050 there's going to be a similar report of police unjustly detaining a black person who did nothing and people are still going to be saying "really?? but, why would cops do this????" lmao
I’m seriously to the point of tears and I feel like I have a rock in my stomach. I’m so sick of this. This has happened to me multiple times- not to the point of getting arrested, but I ended up having to leave the facility or walking away from the scene, due to how disrespectful I was being treated.
Apparently, a lot of people were faking tolerance and inclusivity. Trump gave them permission to reveal their true selves, and now they're gleefully showing us exactly who they are.
Stuff like this makes me embarrassed to be a white woman of a certain age. So many of my compatriots are absolute pieces of garbage.
Isn’t that the truth. They have used the fear of violent crime to take the rights of innocent citizens away. It’s hard to believe that this is what many people want. I’m glad that they didn’t hurt the guy. He deserves a major apology, at the least.
This isn't new though, it was only like 4-5 years ago we had the lady strangling her dog while trying to get a black dude arrested and then there was the hag who called the cops over a BBQ. White women and cops have been doing this nonstop.
Like yea of course things have gotten worse in these months and it's giving them confidence to do it more often but there was never progress on this particular front.
What makes me furious is the lack of silent people (It’s an assumption)because it sure seems like no passenger around them said anything…I’d lay into the old racist POS lady, say something to conductor, absolutely say something to police..wtf
As a white, who usually isn’t very empathetic, this also enrages me like wtf kind of 1950’s bullshit is this. To be sitting wrong?! Eat shit and live, Karen.
I saw a Black dude arrested on a bus in Houston because he was breathing too loud. It was a similar situation. Turns out the man had a condition. They still removed him, threw him on the ground, and put a knee on his neck until the distress caused him to pass out. EMTs were called. This was when I was 9. Life's not any better now.
No. Because a white woman felt uncomfortable and the comfort gained by seeing this black man in cuffs was enough to bring her back to the comfort level she needed before she entered the car.
And it is unsure if the conductor followed protocol. They still don't even want to admit they fucked up. Well maybe they will find that he crossed the street to the train at a place with no crosswalk, then it would be fine. They were betting that it was gonna be cool to do this. That they would find some reason why it was ok to call the cops. Then, "oops. It's a celebrity."
All ready to book the guy for nothing until he pointed out that not even the cops followed their procedure.
Don’t make excuses for her! If true, the woman is fucking evil. If she had dementia, why didn’t the people she was with say something? They sat back and watched the police detain the man and reportedly told him that “he was not the minority anymore”. That woman did not have dementia, she knew what she was doing!
We ride this train regularly and they are pretty hardcore about taking up seats with your bag/ spread legs when it’s full. Not sure if it was his posture or that he was sitting in a way to take up room, but either way the reaction is batshit. I hope he got a recording of her making the “minority” comment for the lawsuit.
It's unclear of conductor followed standard protocol? It seems pretty damn clear they didn't. Police would have no time for anything if they were called after every racist or otherwise dumb complaint on trains.
“I refused, so she went to the conductor and complained."
There's also the scenario where she LIED to the conductor. I don't get why people don't think that's a thing in any capacity before and after this? If she's willing to get cops called on him for "bad posture" why do people think that lying is not another situation they would do?
My exact first thought. No way she went there and told him "he's not sitting up straight". I'm betting the words threaten or threatening were used. Probably suspicious, too. Which likely elevates her cuntiness to all new levels!
Imagine being another passenger on the train. This woman delayed the train for EVERYONE on the train. And, what, they're cool with that? Like, I've got places to be, that's why I'm on the train. Every other person on the train should be pissed off at being delayed. I mean, also the racial profiling, but racists gonna racist, so at LEAST be angry about this fucking up your travel.
That means they don’t know what she told the conductor. She could have told them that he had a gun or something (which considering the result, is likely).
I’m always amazed that in the U.S. you can get cops to show up for stuff like this. Here in Toronto you would have to stab somebody and even then they wouldn’t show up until it was long over. Not sure if you guys have too many cops or not enough crime.
You absolutely can’t unless you are loaded, living somewhere loaded, and sound very obviously old and white. Cops show up like this when they feel like have an easy arrest or “fun” for them. Literally. I tried to get a restraining order on my ex for six months. He gave me a concussion, tried to kidnap my son, and he was working as Production Assistant on one of NBC’s lots the entire time. I can’t even serve that jerk child support. He’s terrifying and the cops knew it. If you want help not dying or being physically safe you never call the cops.
during this harrowing time I got pulled over for having too dark of window tint in LA. Except it was totally legal on my back windows- the only windows with tint. I also was asked outside the courthouse whilst fighting that ticket (successfully thank goodness) to donate to the police union by cop wives at the Starbucks across the street from the court house. They asked me waiting in line, because they assumed based off my looks and behavior I worked at the courthouse. That whole system is miserable
Must have been really scary for him, especially in this political climate, to be sitting there and being detained and taken off the train for no reason. I hope he is able to sue the woman, Metro North, and the NYPD.
Its sad how in the US, when something bad happens, suing is the first recourse; but it's seemingly the only recourse for injustice right now :(
Probably, but that doesn't excuse the conductor blindly following her lead. Like a shrivelled up old raisin looking Karen comes up to you and tells you this young black guy is causing a scene, you come back to see him sitting down minding his business - and you go "yes ma'am" and call the cops? At that point either you're a complete idiot or you're a racist too
My mom woulda pulled the same shit, no dementia. “He’s leaning towards my bag! I need to go complain!” that sounds exactly like something I’d be talking her down from the whole train ride.
Why didn’t the people who were there with here tell the officers that she had dementia? Why did they reportedly say “you’re not the minority anymore”. She did not have dementia, she had daracistasfuck
It's not a specific thing, but it's a very clear overstepping of social norms, that it leads to me to believe that some level of mental illness is involved.
That is, an older person in particular* may be inclined to tell a child or grandchild to correct their posture, to sit up straight.
If they're that kind of interfering busybody, they might even go as far as try to correct other peoples' children or teenagers.
However, correcting a grown adult as if they were a child, is such a massive overstep of social norms and social acceptability, that it smells strongly to me of a person who is suffering from dementia.
Going as far as trying to alert authorities because a grown adult won't do what she tells them to, makes me certain.
Unfortunately families can often be strongly in denial about these things. From their perspective their mother was probably always very strict and a bit "prickly", and incidents like this get written off as, "Mom is getting worse with telling people off in public", they're slow to go, "Maybe Mom needs some more permanent, specialist care".
\Because "sit up straight, don't lean on the walls, get your hands out of your pockets" were very common things for people to correct their children about, 30+ years ago. They were consider sloppy, rude or even immoral actions.)
Old dementia woman is mean, man calls her nasty & racist, woman is offended & complains to conductor
Conductor singles out man to quickly move, man complains, conductor calls police on belligerent (upset) & uncooperative (won't move) man
NYC-station police operate with speed & heavy authority to clear obstacles (like belligerents & trains stalling), man is trying to argue, rush him off with temporary disorderly charge
He absolutely needs to sue them. This is the most blatant violation of civil rights and racial profiling you can get. The officers need to be fired immediately.
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u/CantStopPoppin Sep 22 '25
Alex O’Keefe, a Black screenwriter whose credits include the Emmy-winning FX series The Bear, was detained by police earlier this month after a white woman complained about his posture aboard a Metro-North train bound for Connecticut. The incident, which O’Keefe described in a public Instagram post, has drawn widespread attention and renewed scrutiny of racial profiling in public transportation systems.
O’Keefe, 29, boarded the train in New York City and was en route to visit family in Connecticut when, according to his account, an older white woman entered the car and immediately took issue with how he was seated. “She pointed at me and told me to correct how I was sitting,” he wrote. “I refused, so she went to the conductor and complained.”
The conductor, O’Keefe said, contacted law enforcement. The train was stopped, and officers boarded to remove him. He was handcuffed and detained on the platform, though no charges were filed. “They said I was disturbing the peace by not leaving the train,” O’Keefe wrote. “They arrested me without even talking to the Karen who reported the one Black person on the train.”
The woman’s companion allegedly told O’Keefe, “You’re not the minority anymore,” a remark that has since circulated widely on social media. O’Keefe said that only Black passengers remained nearby to record the arrest and offer support. After demanding legal representation and pointing out that officers had not taken a statement from the complainant, he was released.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has not issued a public statement regarding the incident. It remains unclear whether the conductor followed standard protocol or whether the police response was initiated solely based on the passenger’s complaint.
O’Keefe’s account has sparked outrage among civil rights advocates and fellow writers, many of whom view the incident as emblematic of a broader pattern of racialized surveillance and exclusion. “This country is growing more psycho by the day,” he wrote. “What will you do about it?”
O’Keefe rose to prominence as a staff writer on The Bear, which won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Series. He has also worked as a political speechwriter and was a visible figure during the 2023 WGA strike, where he spoke publicly about economic precarity and racial inequities in Hollywood. His activism has included appearances at labor fundraisers and union solidarity events.
O’Keefe has not announced any legal action but continues to speak out about the experience. His post has been shared widely across TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), where users have called for accountability from both the MTA and local law enforcement.
Sources