# Citi Bike Karen

Citi Bike Karen is the nickname given to a pregnant nurse filmed on May 13, 2023, in a tug of war over a Citi Bike rental outside Bellevue Hospital in New York with a group of young Black men. Initial posts accused her of racism and weaponizing tears, but her lawyer produced receipts five days later showing she had rented the bike first, triggering a reversal that Twitter users returned to as a case study in premature mob judgment.

## Origin
Twitter user @Imposter_Edits uploaded the clip on May 13, 2023, with a caption claiming the woman "tried her best to weaponize her tears" before switching the reaction off once it did not work[2]. The confrontation was filmed outside Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where she was employed as a nurse[6]. Within five days the post collected over 14,800 retweets and 87,400 likes[6]. The footage never shows what happened in the seconds before the camera started, which later became the pivot of the entire story once her rental receipts emerged[1].

- **Platform:** Twitter
- **Creator:** Unknown
- **Date:** 2023

## Overview
Video of the roughly 90 second confrontation shows the woman, visibly pregnant and in hospital scrubs, gripping the handlebars of a Citi Bike while a young man insists he paid for it; she asks him not to touch her, cries, and eventually lets go of the bike[2]. The Karen nickname stuck once civil rights attorney Ben Crump reshared the footage with a caption accusing her of trying to "weaponize her tears to paint the man as a threat"[3].

Unusual among Karen incidents, the Citi Bike Karen story reversed within a week. Early posts named her, pointed to her employer, and reported that she had deleted her accounts[4]. Her lawyer then produced rental receipts showing she had unlocked the bike first, and online opinion turned against the users who piled on initially[1].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is Citi Bike Karen?
Citi Bike Karen is the nickname given to a pregnant nurse at Bellevue Hospital who was filmed on May 13, 2023, in a Citi Bike dispute with a group of young Black men in Manhattan[2].

### Where did Citi Bike Karen come from?
Twitter account @Imposter_Edits uploaded the original 90 second video on May 13, 2023, filmed outside Bellevue Hospital[2].

### What does Citi Bike Karen mean?
The nickname was first used to accuse the woman of racism and weaponizing tears[3], but after her lawyer produced rental receipts, it was repurposed as a cautionary label for premature online accusations[1].

### How do you use Citi Bike Karen?
Twitter users cite the Citi Bike Karen episode whenever a viral confrontation surfaces without full context, often pointing to the receipts reversal as a reminder[7].

### Is Citi Bike Karen still popular?
The Citi Bike Karen story peaked in May 2023 and is now mostly historical, though it is still referenced when similar viral accusations circulate on Twitter[6].

## References
1. [https://nypost.com/2023/05/18/nyc-hospital-karen-paid-for-citi-bike-at-center-of-fight-with-black-man/](<https://nypost.com/2023/05/18/nyc-hospital-karen-paid-for-citi-bike-at-center-of-fight-with-black-man/>)
2. [https://x.com/i/status/1657581292681064451](<https://x.com/i/status/1657581292681064451>)
3. [https://x.com/i/status/1657918241614774275](<https://x.com/i/status/1657918241614774275>)
4. [https://twitter.com/thejournalista/status/1658161888902135808](<https://twitter.com/thejournalista/status/1658161888902135808>)
5. [https://twitter.com/BellevueHosp/status/1658465672190361600](<https://twitter.com/BellevueHosp/status/1658465672190361600>)
6. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/citi-bike-karen](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/citi-bike-karen>)
7. [https://twitter.com/herandrews/status/1659214218510344192](<https://twitter.com/herandrews/status/1659214218510344192>)

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Source: https://meme.com/memes/citi-bike-karen
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