16What the hall!

White man ‘racially profiles’ his neighbor

A white man’s unwarranted interrogation of his black neighbor in the lobby of an Upper East Side apartment building has sparked outrage over yet another apparent example of harassment of people of color.

The confrontation last Wednesday between Chika Okafor, a producer for sports website Bleacher Report, and the still-unidentified man was posted to social media. It’s been viewed more than 1 million times.

“I was racially profiled in my apartment complex last night. While I was with my friend Cassius Flemming waiting for a Lyft ride on the first floor of the building that I have lived in since mid-December of last year, this man interrogated me about where I live,” Okafor wrote on Facebook.

“As you can see, he thought that he was entitled to know who I was and where I lived simply because, according to him, he lived there for 27 years. The arrogance is appalling but honestly, not surprising because far too many times people of color have been victims of this kind of behavior.”

The post yielded an array of comments about the ugly attitude of the man nicknamed by one commenter “Hallway Harry.”

“What are you doing in my building? You don’t live here,” the man says.

“Oh you’re smooth. You’re the smooth king.”

The argument ended when Okafor and his friend left the lobby to catch the Lyft.

“I strongly believe in this case race was involved,” Okafor, 29, said.

“Me and my friend were inside the building. We had access to it. And the first thing he says to us is, ‘Who are you guys?’ ”

The episode was reminiscent of other white people confronting people of color for no legitimate reason. “BBQ Becky,” “Cornerstore Caroline,” “Golfcart Gail” and “Permit Patty” sparked rampant online outrage and protests.

“It was surreal to be a part of,” Okafor said.

An additional video posted to Facebook shows that the man who menaced Okafor and his friend also bullied a white family visiting from Hong Kong on the same day. The footage indicated the man suspected the family was renting a short-term apartment through Airbnb.

Okafor said he’d never seen the man before. Following the incident, Okafor had been told it was likely he and the man lived in neighboring apartments.

Calls to a phone number believed to belong to the bully captured were not returned. The buzzer to the apartment where he possibly lived only responded with “call denied.”

Okafor has nothing to say to the guy if they again cross paths.

“I do think he owes my friend and I an apology for his

. should be kicked out,” Okafor said.

“He has no authority to do what he did. You don’t walk up to a complete stranger and start questioning them, expecting them to give you their personal info.”