Three still images from a video where a Black Amazon delivery driver in Houston was allegedly attacked by a white woman in December 2023. (Screengrabs via Jamaiya Miller/Red Rose Media)
An Amazon delivery driver in Texas says she was harassed and assaulted in a racist confrontation by two residents while trying to deliver a package at a luxury apartment complex in Houston.
The woman’s allegations are currently under investigation by the Houston Police Department, Law&Crime has confirmed.
Meanwhile, video footage of the underlying incident has gone viral on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media websites.
On Dec. 16, Jamaiya Miller was trying to deliver a package directly to a resident’s door at The Belle Meade at River Oaks on Westheimer Road in the River Oaks neighborhood — one of the wealthiest and most affluent neighborhoods — of the nation’s fourth-largest city.
Miller, who is Black, says she was stopped by two unidentified white women, one of whom eventually physically attacked her.
“I was let into the building by a resident,” Miller wrote in an Instagram post on Christmas Day. “I have an amazon vest on, and a package in hand, so she lets me into the elevator.”
After that, things went awry when the first resident insisted Miller go to “the concierge” instead of the resident’s door “even though my delivery instructions say customers door,” according to the post.
“I decide to go with what the delivery instructions say, and proceed to try to find the customers door on the 2nd floor,” Miller’s Instagram post continues. “This resident who let me in the elevator, then starts freaking out, and runs and tells another lady that I am not listening to her about going to the concierge. The lady she told is who ends up harassing & assaulting me.”
In the footage, the alleged attacker can be seen placing her hands and arms on Miller while shouting: “She’s attacking me!” The white woman also tells Miller: “We’ve had thieves here and you’re a thief.”
At one point, the unknown white woman appears to shove Miller against the hallway wall.
Another white woman eventually shows up and says she is going to call security on Miller — which the Amazon driver encourages her to do.
In the video, a caption identifies both of the white women as “Karen,” a pejorative for a white woman, typically of the middle or upper classes, who demands to get her way.
“Both of these were older white women, who I assume were rich based on the neighborhood and fancy apartment building, & I absolutely believe their vitriol towards me was racially motivated,” Miller added.
The Houston Police Department also relayed Miller’s version of events to Law&Crime.
“A female tried to block her,” a spokesperson said. “She stated at one point the female pushed her.”
Eventually, a security guard or doorman stepped in and both parties went their separate ways, police added. The spokesperson said that the major assault division is investigating the case and will speak to all the parties involved. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to file any charges, police said.
Miller posted an update on Instagram on Wednesday — criticizing the speed of the law enforcement response so far.
“I have still not identified the Karen who attacked me,” she wrote in the latest post. “I have been contacted by an investigator who asked lots of questions about my Amazon employment but provided no information about my assault or who the Karen is.”
Amazon, for their part, is taking Miller’s side.
“The events depicted in this video are concerning,” the retailer said in a statement provided to Houston-based CBS affiliate KHOU. “We’re supporting the delivery partner and working with law enforcement as they investigate. We proactively communicate to drivers who deliver for Amazon that they are never required to make a delivery if they feel unsafe.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
