VIDEO: Police officer quits after being caught on camera calling Black man racial slur
TheGrio has launched a special series called #BlackonBlue to examine the relationship between law enforcement and African-Americans. Our reporters and videographers will investigate police brutality and corruption while also exploring local and national efforts to improve policing in our communities. Join the conversation, or share your own story, using the hashtag #BlackonBlue.
A Florida officer who was called to intervene in a dispute between a pizza delivery driver and a customer, quit his job after being caught on video calling a black man a vile racial slur.
On Tuesday, Officer Michael Naples resigned from the St. Petersburg police force after the video surfaced, reports ABC News.
—Kim Kardashian heads to Memphis for interview with Alice Marie Johnson—
According to reports Naples went to solve a dispute after a Black man reportedly hit a delivery driver’s car with a fire extinguisher. Naples and the African-American man then got into a verbal exchange after he cited him for criminal mischief. That’s when Naples can be heard on video yelling and calling the man a “a piece of s*** n*gger.”
St. Petersburg police released this statement in response.
“We hold our officers to the highest professional standard. The use of profanity and racial slurs is not tolerated under any circumstances, said Chief of Police Anthony Holloway.
With the hot summer season approaching, more pizzas are going to be ordered but it seems like pizza shop employees in Florida stay heated.
In another case, Marlon Robinson had been waiting for his Dominos’ pizza for more than two hours and complained to the staff at a Pembroke Pines, Florida, pizza joint. He flipped out his cell phone and recorded a tense interaction with an employee.
“You’re the manager, I’m the customer. Act accordingly,” says Robinson in the video.
The pissed off employee didn’t think the customer was right and called Robinson a “n***r” before chucking his boxes of pizza to the floor on May 5.
Robinson hired an attorney.
“I don’t want to be silent about something that—you know, I’m a 36-year-old man,” said Robinson to WSVN.
“I’ve lived in this community over 25 years, and I don’t think that the kids after me who maybe look like me or act like me or talk like me should have to deal with this whenever they go somewhere and not be heard.”
Domino’s quickly fired the employee after the incident and issued this statement.
“The team at Domino’s is mortified by the behavior of the employee, who has been terminated. Behavior such as that has no place in our brand. We are sincerely sorry that this occurred.”
Black civilian interactions with police can sometimes turn ugly even when you’re minding your business trying to get a bite to eat.
