A bright red umbrella with a light colored top set on a roof top in New York City prompted a woman from a block or or so away to call 911 because she thought it looked like a suicidal woman dressed in a Handmaid’s Tale costume about to jump to her death to make a political point.
The red garment and white cap Handmaid’s Tale costume has become a common protest costume for liberals in the Trump era:
Protesters dress in Handmaid's Tale outfits outside Kavanaugh hearing https://t.co/km9muQmbtZ pic.twitter.com/RAR1BNy34P
— The Hill (@thehill) September 4, 2018
New York City police investigated and found only the umbrella. The cops took it in stride with humor and an encouragement to report concerns even if they turn out to be unfounded.
Today I thought I saw a woman dressed as a handmaid about to jump from a building. I called 911. pic.twitter.com/EIrz6wR0bz
— Casey McCormick (@itsmeCaseyMc) May 21, 2019
— Casey McCormick (@itsmeCaseyMc) May 21, 2019
Blessed be the umbrella. Thank you Casey and the @POPSUGAR team for alerting us to this crime, glad we could save the day.
Jokes aside, if you’re ever hesitant about calling 911 – don’t be! We take all calls seriously, and worse case we get to go home with a great story. https://t.co/PJLNw9Gx0P
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 21, 2019
Another woman wrote she had a similar concern:
I work across the street from her and almost did the same thing! pic.twitter.com/EMClyo5g5y
— Chelsea Stoutenburgh (@ChelStout) May 21, 2019
Closer view of the umbrella:
https://twitter.com/joshuatopolsky/status/1130924334971797504
The New York Post spoke to McCormick and reported details from police:
…The 30-year-old Brooklyn resident told The Post it was “startling” to see what she thought was a person at the top of a building from her office desk.
“There’s just so much going on [politically] it wouldn’t surprise me if someone was taking a stand and it became very scary,” said McCormick, citing recent anti-abortion legislation.
McCormick, who works at a media and publishing company, consulted with her coworkers and decided to call the NYPD.
…An NYPD spokeswoman confirmed they received a call relating to the incident at around 11 a.m. near West 27th Street and Park Avenue South — and that officers from the 13th precinct who responded “were able to access the building and upon investigation the person turned out to be an umbrella.”…
