White neighbor called cops on black girl, 9, for chasing lanternflies across sidewalks and trees

A black child in New Jersey had the police called on her by a white neighbor last month while she was spraying trees for lanternflies. 

Bobbi Wilson, 9, was out in her Caldwell, New Jersey, neighborhood applying an environmentally safe lanternfly spray recipe she had found on TikTok when her neighbor, Gordon Lawshe, 71, called the police. 

Lawshe told dispatch officers he was scared of the nine-year-old girl and what she was doing, leading Wilson's mother to call out the actions for racism, intended or not. 

'There is a little black woman walking and spraying stuff on the sidewalks and trees on Elizabeth and Florence,' Lawshe, can be heard telling police on the phone call, obtained by PIX11. 

'I don't know what the hell she's doing. Scares me though,' the neighbor said during the call. 

Gordon Lawshe called the police on nine-year-old Bobbi after he saw her spraying trees in their neighborhood

Monique Joseph, Bobbi's mom, said that she did not want to 'label anyone,' but did want to bring awareness to the issue 

Bobbi's big sister, Hayden Wilson, 13, (left) and Bobbi (right) also spoke during the Caldwell Council meeting, telling the group about the young girl's efforts to stop the lanternflies from spreading 

The incident happened on October 22 and was later brought to the attention of the Caldwell Borough Council during a November 1 meeting. 

Monique Joseph, Bobbi's mom, spoke during the assembly and said that while she did not want to 'label anyone,' she did want to bring it to the attention of the residents. 

'Racism, intentional or not, is still racism,' Joseph said. 

'To hear my neighbor using triggering words that have resulted in the deaths of too many black and brown children and adults at the hands of the police. "Black," "hoodie," "I'm scared." Those are triggering words.'

Bobbi's sister, Hayden Wilson, 13, also spoke during public comments and told the group that not only was Bobbi not on the neighbor's property, but the former councilman knows their family. 

The Joseph and Wilson family has lived across from Lawshe in Caldwell for eight years, according to local media. 

In the 911 call, Lawshe described Bobbi as a 'real small woman,' saying 'you can't miss her.' The man also said she was wearing a hood. 

'My 9-year-old daughter Bobbi had a hoodie on her person but did not have this hoodie on her head,' Joseph clarified during the meeting. The family also said she is less than five feet tall. 

The hardest part, Hayden said, was that it defeated the young girl's confidence.  

'She was not only doing something amazing for our environment, but she was doing something that made her feel like a hero,' Hayden said of her sister's actions. 

Joseph, in an interview with PIX11, echoed her daughter's claims, saying: 'She wants to feel like she was doing something and it was the one thing that she could feel powerful doing. She’s saving a tree. We love trees.' 

Spotted Lanternflies have been a hot topic across the internet in recent months as many states have issued alerts over the increasing population and concerns over the damage the bug can do. 

The official agriculture agency for Pennsylvania states that the bug can not only kill plants, but they also excrete honeydew, which can breed black sooty mold. 

'Kill it! Squash it, smash it...just get rid of it. In the fall, these bugs will lay egg masses with 30-50 eggs each. These are called bad bugs for a reason, don't let them take over your county next,' the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says on its website of the dangerous bug. 

The official agriculture agency for Pennsylvania states that the bug can not only kill plants, they also excrete honeydew, which can breed black sooty mold

Bobbi had spent the whole summer spraying trees in her neighborhood according to reports. 

She had first learned about the bug in class and even wrote a report on the environmental impact, her family said. 

At one point during the November 1 meeting, one councilman asked the young girl about her efforts. 

'Bobbi, how many lanternflies do you think you captured or killed?' they asked.

'A lot, I think,' she responded.

The nine-year-old also took the opportunity in front of the council to share the recipe she had found for killing the dangerous animal. 

'Kill it! Squash it, smash it...just get rid of it' the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture says of the invasive bug 

An article published on October 28 by The Progress highlighted the young girl's actions and 

'They suck the life out of the trees,' Bobbi said of the animals and her efforts to stop them. 

In that article, Joseph said that her daughter spends up to 45 minutes each day after school looking for and killing the animals. 

Bobbi also said she plans to continue on her quest until the weather officially turns to winter. 

Hayden said that her sister was doing something that 'made her feel like a hero' when she had the cops called on her in October 

'I am not here to label anyone, only to share my point of view as a Black woman, a Black mother, and a Black resident in this town,' Joseph said during public comments.

The mom of two did say she simply wanted to 'bring awareness on racism and implicit bias that we experienced on the very street that we live on,' the mother continued. 

'I do apologize for what you and your daughter went through,' said John Kelley, Mayor of Caldwell. He also said that Bobbi and Hayden have 'the governing body's full support.' 

Kelley later spoke with The Daily Beast after the meeting and said 'it is clear that a line was crossed. My heart goes out to Monique and her two girls.' 

'I do apologize for what you and your daughter went through,' said John Kelley, Mayor of Caldwell, during the council meeting 

Lawshe's attorney Greg Mascera said in a statement last week that Lawshe did in fact call 911 on Bobbi, but that it wasn't racial profiling. 

Despite his claim, Joseph said that her daughter was 'afraid' of going outside after the incident, in which a police officer drove by to check out the activity. 

'My 9-year-old daughter was afraid to go outside the next day,' Joseph said during the November 1 meeting. 

'It is unfortunate that she understands exactly what could have happened to her if we lived somewhere else in this country,' the mother said. 

Joseph says she hopes this will be a t

Mascera called Joseph's claims that her daughter is now scared to go outside 'absurd.' 

'All the cop did was drive by, but the mother's assertion that [her daughter is now] afraid of cops is absurd,' Mascera said.

Joseph, however, said that the incident was incredibly serious and could have ended much worse.

'I was shaking inside and I was steadying myself because I did not want [the officer] to feel my anger and then I get myself in trouble,' the mother said of her interaction with the police. 

Lawshe is the former treasurer and co-head of the Caldwell Republican Committee, a position he held through at least 2021 according to The Progress. 

He currently serves as the Caldwell Community Center membership director, according to his LinkedIn page.