Georgia police chief, officer ousted after video of racist comments surfaces
The officials were removed from duty for disparaging comments made about Black victims of police violence and local politicians
A patrolman of the Hamilton Police Department in Hamilton, Georgia, and its police chief are under fire after video footage surfaced of them engaged in a conversation while using racist and sexist slurs.
The footage was captured by the patrolman’s bodycam, according to WTVM.
The exchange happened in June of last year as Black Lives Matter protests carried out across the country in the wake of George Floyd‘s death. Prior to a local protest, Hamilton police officer John Brooks was at the front door of a police station speaking with Police Chief Gene Allmond.
READ MORE: Ohio police chief forced out in wake of Andre Hill killing
In a conversation captured on Brooks’ bodycam, the patrolman can be heard using racial slurs when discussing a recent fatal police shooting. While no names are said, it is likely they were referring to the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks, no relation to John Brooks, that happened in Atlanta just days prior.
Atlanta is about 70 miles northeast of Hamilton.
“What they’re saying now is, ‘Well, he didn’t have to shoot him; it’s just a Taser,'” John Brooks said when describing information he heard from a Fox News commentator. “Then how come when you tase a f—ing n—er, it’s like you’ve done killed him 27 times?”
As Brooks continued to speak about how the victim pointed a Taser at the officer, Allmond is seen agreeing with him saying, “What would you have done if it would’ve hit the officer? Go over there, get his gun and kill him?”
The night of June 12 last year, Rayshard Brooks was being arrested after being found asleep in his car and failing a sobriety test in a Wendy’s parking lot in Atlanta, as previously reported by TheGrio. The incident was captured on cellphone footage by a bystander. An altercation occurred between the officers and Brooks, who acquired one of the officer’s stun guns before attempting to flee by foot. While running, Brooks pointed the Taser in the officers’ direction, prompting one officer to open fire on the 27-year-old Black man, shooting him in the back. He later died from his wounds.
READ MORE: Prosecutor hands off case against Atlanta officers in Rayshard Brooks death
In his conversation seen in the bodycam footage, John Brooks then turned his attention to the actions of the mayor, saying, “And that mayor up there, she’s already fired the officer, without a hearing.”
It can be believed that he is referring to Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. John Brooks then turned the racial slurs onto the mayor with a sexually explicit statement, saying, “If I had to f— a n—er, I’d rather f— the mayor than Stacey Abrams.”
Allmond then replied, “Yessir!”
Footage of the body cam surfaced after another Hamilton officer from a different department needed to use the camera and downloaded the footage. After the footage was discovered, it found its way to the Hamilton mayor’s office. Brooks, the patrolman, was fired and Allmond resigned.
According to ABC News, Hamilton Mayor Pro-Tem Ransom Farley acted quickly, terminating both Brooks and Allmond “in an hour-and-a-half time” after seeing the “disgusting” footage.
“I thank God we caught it,” Farley said. “When you’re a police officer and you have that type of frame of mind …. how can you protect and serve?”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
