#CrimingWhileWhite, #AliveWhileBlack ignite conversation about white privilege

#CrimingWhileWhite is slicing across social media in the U.S. as white Americans share stories of police letting them off. While the hashtag has attracted an outpouring of responses, not everyone is convinced that it's actually helping to improve the situation.

The hashtag popped up on Twitter last week after the Eric Garner decision, when a grand jury decided not to indict a white New York City police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, in the unarmed black man's death.

The encounter between Officer Pantaleo and Eric Garner has been viewed by millions. The officer's illegal choke hold and Mr. Garner's plea that he couldn't breath were caught on tape.

There was a sense by many onlookers that the situation would have been very different if Mr. Garner had been white. Hence, the thousands of confessions white Twitter users have been making to breaking the law, and experiencing leniency from the police.

To discuss #CrimingWhileWhite and #AliveWhileBlack, we were joined by three guests.

• Robyn Kopp is the voice behind one of the many #CrimingWhileWhite tweets.
• Jamilah Lemieux is a writer and Senior Digital Editor for Ebony Magazine.
• Camille Charles is a professor of sociology and chair of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

What do you think of the #CrimingWhileWhite or #AliveWhileBlack hashtags?

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This segment was produced by The Current's Shannon Higgins and Marc Apollonio.