A Florida fire captain was disciplined and demoted Monday (May 14) after making disparaging comments about the parents of Trayvon Martin, via Facebook. Captain Brian Beckmann was knocked down to the lowest firefighter ranking for calling Martin’s parents “ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents,” among other names.
Beckmann made the comments in response to special prosecutor, Angela Corey’s decision to seek second-degree murder charges against the teen’s accused killer, George Zimmerman. While the case sparked a racial profiling firestorm, Beckmann concluded that he did not believe that Martin’s killing had anything to do with skin color, but with the high-school student’s upbringing. “I and my coworkers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, s***bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth,” he wrote. “They’re just misunderstood little church going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesn’t have anything to do with why people wonder if they’re about to get jacked by a thug.”
Although the comments were posted last month, the 15-year veteran is just now facing disciplinary action. While Beckmann apologized for his words, promising to “try harder than ever” to be more professional, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, doesn’t seem to be moved by his attempt at atonement. “There’s no such thing as being off-the-clock; we are public servants 24/7 and must conduct ourselves with the utmost professionalism at all times,” he said in a statement.
Following his death in late February, many public figures have made disrespectful remarks about the unarmed teen, gunned down by Zimmerman in an alleged act of self-defense. Fox News personality, Geraldo Rivera remarked that had Martin worn a hoodie, he would likely still be alive. Similarly, Skyy Fisher, a school board member in Southern California, called Martin a “fa**ot.” Both men have since apologized for their statements.
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