Scooters littering US city streets shout at people: 'Unlock me or I'll call the police'

Built-in alarm sparks anger from city officials amid concerns over racism and policing: 'This is a threat to people'

The stories of Americans calling police on people of color who are just going about their daily lives have gone viral multiple times, and prompted a national debate about everyday racism.

So one has to wonder what a Silicon Valley startup was thinking when it programmed its electric scooters to yell at people: "Unlock me to ride me, or I'll call the police."