By Victor Omondi
Delvin White, a Tampa police officer, knew he was doing well in his job. He was, however, hit hard when he lost his job for what he thought was “culture.”
According to Bodycam footage, White is seen driving as he spoke with his wife on phone. He then uses the N-word in a November 12, 2020 incident. In another incident, a video shows the cop using the same word on a student who stubbornly didn’t want to leave campus after receiving a suspension.
“In the second video you see me interacting with a young man,” said White. “I was frustrated with him and you will see I had so much patience with him. I didn’t want to arrest that young man. I know what happens especially with young Black men when they get put in the system so, I did everything I could not to arrest him.”
Viola Davis Won Two NAACP Image Awards: ‘I Refuse to Explain Myself Now’
During the interaction, both White and the young man use the N-word. According to White, the young man said he didn’t take any offense. However, he still lost his job, as dictated by the B1.2 Discriminatory Conduct Policy.
“It’s just too much. I understand you feel like you have to do something; if I would have got suspended for 30 days, I wouldn’t have complained. It’s the fact that it had to go all the way to termination when you received no complaint from anybody in the community,” said White.
Brain Dugan, White’s former police chief said in a statement: “Derogatory statements made by police officers jeopardize the trust that our department works to establish with our community. Tampa Police officers are held to a higher standard and incidents like this negatively impact the entire law enforcement profession.”
White’s former school, Middleton High’s students met at the school, all in white, for what they called Officer White Day. They carried out a rally and had a petition which had 2,000 signatures.
Source: Students Rally Behind Black Tampa School Cop Fired for Using The N-Word
