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Bayonne Woman Arrested After Allegedly Screaming Racial Slurs At Black Neighbor

BAYONNE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Police have made an arrest following a disturbing incident caught on camera in New Jersey. A white woman is heard yelling racial slurs at a Black woman in Bayonne.

Tameka Bordeaux posted a video to social media after she says she was followed around the block by a neighbor who was screaming the N-word and other racial obscenities at her.

"She's following me all the way from 17th Street," Bordeaux says in the video.

"Call the cops, you Black b----," the neighbor says before swearing at Bordeaux.

"I kind of was shocked," Bordeaux told CBS2's Meg Baker.

Bordeaux says she walked out of her apartment and heard the woman questioning a postal worker about late mail, and then the woman turned her focus on Bordeaux.

"I offered neighborly advice and simply said, 'Hey, you have a valid argument there,'" Bordeaux said.

In the video, the neighbor can be heard saying, "She's not minding her business ... You nasty [expletive]."

Watch Meg Baker's report --

Bordeaux says she chose to stay silent.

"Because as a Black woman, it's hard. You can speak up, but then it depends on where you are. The story can be switched if you don't have enough people there to support what is going on. So for me, silence was the best thing," she said.

Other residents of the diverse neighborhood say the same woman has harassed them and there may be some mental health issues. Bordeaux thanks them for coming to her aid.

"This is a hate crime," Assemblywoman Angela McKnight said. "And she needs to be held accountable, and if she's not held accountable, we will again have the same conversation."

"So many people have reached out to me in reference to restraint and them looking at themselves and changing their minds on if they were faced with a situation, is it best to respond in an aggressive manner or is it best to maybe respond in a way that's uncomfortable and uncommon to you?" Bordeaux said.

She is studying clinical mental health and hopes the woman gets some help.

Tuesday night, Bayonne Police announced on Facebook that 60-year-old Claudia Emanuele had been arrested and charged with bias intimidation and harassment.

Mayor Jimmy Davis responded to the incident on Facebook, saying in part, "The video content was appalling and certainly not indicative of who we are in Bayonne. Our community will continue to stand together and work to eliminate these acts of hatred."

Yesterday I was made aware of a disturbing video that was circulating on social media. I spoke to Bayonne Police Chief...

Posted by Mayor Jimmy Davis on Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Meg Baker contributed to this report.

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