‘Don’t belong over here’: California man tells black teen she isn’t allowed to practice driving in neighborhood. So black dad puts him in place

A Northern California father posted a video of a confrontation that began when a white man walked up to his daughter’s car during a driving lesson. Marlan Simpson said the man told the teen she should practice in her own neighborhood because she did not belong on that street.

Simpson said the exchange happened on September 15 in Fremont, a city just south of San Jose. He explained that they had chosen a public road that followed the same path she would use on her driving test. The car was said to be in reverse when the man reached her window.

Simpson wrote that he left his seat immediately after seeing the stranger standing at his daughter’s window. He said he acted in what he called “daddy mode.” In the Instagram video he shared as @mr.simpsonjr, Simpson said the man told her, “Why don’t you go practice driving in your own neighborhood. You don’t belong over here.”

Simpson describes public-street dispute after man approached teen’s window

Simpson said he told the man they were on a public street and that no one had the authority to send them away. He stated that the man labeled him a racist after Simpson mentioned white privilege.

The man then shouted that he had only asked them to practice somewhere else. Simpson said he warned the man to step back or get knocked out. Such confrontations over driving practice have occurred elsewhere, as when a stranger confronted a black man helping his daughter practice for her driving test, leading to a racial argument.

In the video, the man denied any racial motive and said, “I don’t care what color your a– is.” He also denied telling the family they did not belong there.

Simpson insisted the man had no standing to give them orders on a public street. He said, “You don’t get to approach me on a public street and tell me what I should and should not do. Go home! We’re gonna keep practicing.” The man then left the area.

After the encounter, Simpson said he used the moment to talk with his daughter. He explained that he had her stop the car once they were away from that street and spoke with her about the world they live in and why they must stay vigilant.

Viewers of the Instagram clip asked why Simpson never followed through on the threat to knock the man out. Simpson answered in the comments that striking him had been his first thought.

He wrote that he then looked at his daughter’s face. Simpson said that look kept him from a choice he could not undo. He added that he quickly understood how much he stood to lose. He stated that the right step at that point was to draw the man’s focus away from his daughter and onto himself.

Simpson said his daughter later thanked him for not hitting the man. He wrote that he would take comfort in her reaction. He added that the man still needed to be exposed. Such incidents of racial bias are not isolated, as seen when a black man says a realtor refused to show him a home after seeing him in gym clothes.