Personnel rules could spell trouble for 'sh*tbag parents' firefighter
TheGRIO REPORT - A Miami Dade firefighter who posted a rant decrying the second degree murder charges filed against the killer of Trayvon Martin may have violated department rules, a personnel manual obtained by theGrio suggests...
A Miami-Dade firefighter who posted a rant decrying the second degree murder charges filed against Trayvon Martin’s killer may have violated department rules, as a personnel manual obtained by theGrio suggests.
Section 7B of the Miami-Dade County Personnel Rules manual states that a county employee may be dismissed, demoted or suspended without pay if “the employee has been offensive in his conduct towards his fellow employees, wards of the County or the public.”
Section 7I of the employee manual lists further causes for dismissal as “conduct unbecoming of an employee of the County whether on or off duty.”
It is not known whether Brian Beckmann is being investigated for those specific potential violations of county personnel policy, but the 15-year veteran firefighter is the subject of a Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue Department probe over a post on his personal Facebook page last week, denouncing the charges filed by State Attorney Angela Corey against George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch leader who shot Martin to death February 26th.
The post said Zimmerman was being prejudged, and went on to criticize the “sh-tbag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents” of “our urban youth,” and the “ghetto hoodie style” that makes it reasonable for people to believe they’re “about to get jacked by a thug.” Martin, who lived in Miami, was wearing a hoodie as he walked to the town home of his father’s fiancée in Sanford, Florida, but neither of Martin’s parents is on welfare.
Miami-Dade County’s public affairs office released a lengthier statement late Monday, acknowledging the investigation and addressing community concerns:
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) has a diverse work force of over two-thousand civilian and sworn personnel. Our primary mission is to serve all the citizens of this community, and we encourage all our employees to conduct themselves in a professional manner whether they are on or off-duty.
A recent situation has been publicized in the media involving one of our employees. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue wants our employees and the Community at large to know that the comments attributed to this employee are the opinion of the individual and does not reflect the feelings of the department as a whole.
The department will continue to investigate this incident and report its findings to the Mayor. Please be assured that MDFR will continue, as always to provide all members of this County with the professional service and care that we are known for.
Beckmann’s coworkers denounce sentiments in Beckmann post
Beckmann’s comments quickly spread online after theGrio’s story, and now his colleagues are sounding off.
A local news station
And an African-American firefighter who also works in the county, Ray Williams Sr., wrote in a Facebook post of is own:
I do NOT share the views of Captain Beckman. I am appalled and ashamed to be considered his co-worker. It’s clear he has a bias against the people living in the community in which he makes his living. That attitude is a danger to the community. I am waiting to see how this will be addressed and dealt with.
That post drew several supportive comments, including from another black Miami-Dade firefighter, Louis Sparks, who wrote, “Ray, you are right, he doesn’t realize that many of us on the dept grew up in the city! We are Trayvon! But I guess his ignorance and intelligence makes him believe we are the “good” ones!!”
In addition, a handful of comments were posted to the Facebook page for Metro-Dade Firefighters Local 1403, to which Beckmann belongs. All of the comments denounced Beckmann’s comments, with one poster, Rosalind Moutry Howard, writing that “as the wife of a retired firefighter with over 34 years with Metro Dade Fire Rescue, we both find the comments by Capt. Beckmann racist and out of line for what this department has worked so hard to obtain. … Local 1403 racism is not to be tolerated within the department.”
Meanwhile, the union representing Miami-Dade firefighters said, in a statement reprinted by the Florida News Journal:
“The union is aware that the Fire Department is investigating the incident involving Captain Beckman. The personal opinions shared on the Facebook post do not represent the views of our organization and are not shared by other members.”
Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport
