Woman in viral protest video fired as state explores charging boyfriend with hate crime
Dana Scalione gained notoriety two days ago when video of her confrontation with young black protesters in Miami went viral through social media.
On Wednesday, her employer used the same medium to announce it had fired her.
The real estate company, Insignia International Properties, posted on its Facebook page that it “does not tolerate discrimination. Dana Scalione is no longer affiliated with this organization.”
It was on Monday afternoon that cellphone video showed yelling at a group of teenagers who were taking part in a protest known as “Bikes Up Guns Down” by riding their bicycles through Brickell Avenue. They were protesting a lack of affordable housing in Liberty City.
The clip shows Scalione accusing one of them of running over her foot and calling them “a bunch of thugs.” Moments later, Scalione’s boyfriend Mark Bartlett appears on the roadway, while holding a gun.
“Get out of here you piece of s---,” he yelled before hurling racial slurs at them.
A bystander called police. Officers stopped Bartlett’s car soon after and he was arrested him on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
On Tuesday, Miami’s top prosecutor said her office would investigate the incident as a potential hate crime. Bartlett, a Hollywood resident could face upgraded charges, such as aggravated assault, that includes a “hate crime” enhancement that stiffens the sentence if convicted.
“I am outraged at the reported acts depicted in the videos taken during this incident. I have assigned my chief of our Hate Crimes Unit to immediately investigate and handle this case,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement on Tuesday. “My office is working closely with City of Miami Police on this matter. I am committed to filing the appropriate charges and to vigorously prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
Scalione is not facing charges. In an interview with WPLG-ABC 10, Scalione said both sides were hurling racial insults.
“I was called a white a-- first. Nobody calls them racist,” Scalione told the station. “I was called a b----. Nobody says they hate women.”
Bartlett told the station said he has no regrets other than not having a concealed carry permit.
“All I see is 15 people running across the street toward my girlfriend — over the median, toward my girlfriend,” he said. “My first reaction is I have a gun on me. Whether I have a gun on me or not, I’m running to see and to protect my family. I had a gun though. It wasn’t loaded. I ran out there. You can see I never pointed it. I never threatened anybody. I just needed it in case something were to happen.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 2:55 PM.