A Miami-Dade fire captain has been demoted down to firefighter as punishment for a rant, posted on his personal Facebook page, about the Trayvon Martin case, county officials said Monday.
Capt. Brian Beckmanns post lambasted the prosecutor, Angela Corey, who charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in Martins death.
In the post, Beckmann suggested urban youth are the products of failed, sh--bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents.
He also brought his fellow firefighters into the post, saying: I and my co-workers could rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, sh--bag, ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth.
It ended with, Theyre just misunderstood little church-going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesnt have anything to do with why people wonder if theyre about to get jacked by a thug.
A screen shot of the Facebook page was sent to Miami-Dade Fire Rescues human resources department on April 12, according to county records released Monday. A day later, it was published on the website theGrio.com, an African-American news website.
The ensuing investigation found that, though Beckmanns Facebook page was personal, it hurt the publics trust in the department, the disciplinary action report said. While the opinion posted may have been personal, as a captain with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, it greatly disrupted the publics confidence in our entire organization as a result of the reference to my co-workers, it said.
Beckmann will be on administrative leave and must complete a psychological evaluation and diversity training before he returns, said Rowan Taylor, president of the Miami-Dade firefighters union. And when he does come back, it will be at the lower rank of firefighter.
Taylor said an appeal already had been filed. The appeals process will likely take several months.
















My Yahoo