HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 17: A Houston Police Department patrol car blocks off the intersection of White Oak Drive and Norhill Boulevard due to downed wire Friday, May 17, 2024 at The Heights in Houston. A tall 18-wheeler drove past the intersection and brought down the already low-hanging wires to the ground. (Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Houston officer Ashley Gonzalez is experiencing consequences from her racist rant about Black people. Over the weekend, she went viral after making degrading comments and justifying slavery in a video filmed inside a car. In response to the online backlash, the Houston Police Department suspended Gonzalez pending an internal investigation.
Ashley Gonzalez allegedly shared her rant about Black people on her Instagram’s Close Friends, per multiple reports. Sometime after posting, someone with access to her CF apparently leaked the video, which then circulated across social platforms. The video shows Officer Gonzalez, dressed in a black top and seemingly out of uniform, driving. She emphasizes throughout that she “f**king hates n*ggers” and “chimps.” Gonzalez also appears to mock slavery, saying she “doesn’t give a f**k” while using the n-word.
“For a f**king reason you guys were f**king slaves. You guys don’t know anything better than to f**king steal,” she said.
While continuing to use the n-word, she seemingly alleges a Black person tried to steal her wallet. Had they succeeded Ashley said she would’ve “whooped that n***a’s a*s.” Later in the video, she discloses that it felt “good” to say the n-word, with a hard R, out loud. She also suggested that she grabbed the alleged thief by the neck and used the racial slur against him. “Come here you f**king n***er,” is what Gonzalez revealed she said to the alleged man.
WATCH THE NSFW, UNFILTERED VIDEO HERE.
On Wednesday (April 22), Houston Public Media reported an update on Ashley Gonzalez from the Houston Police Department. A spokesperson told the outlet that the officer was relieved of her duties, meaning she was “suspended with pay,” per the outlet.
Additionally, she’s being investigated by Internal Affairs, per ABC13. However, it’s unclear whether the investigation includes her past interactions as a Houston officer, including any arrests of Black people. It’s also unclear if she’s had prior complaints on the job.Ashley Gonzalez has reportedly been with the Houston Police Department since January 2024, serving on the South Gessner Patrol Division, according to ABC13.
Also on Tuesday, the Houston Police Officers’ Union released a statement condemning Ashley Gonzalez’s rant. The statement, signed by union president Douglas Griffith, said they were “extremely disturbed” by the video and the officer’s “offensive, racist comments.”
“In no way does the HPOU or its leadership condone or tolerate racist behavior from any of our officers. The Houston Police Department prides itself as being the most diverse police department in the nation, largely a product of collaborative changes to civil service law…”
Meanwhile, Houston Council Member Edward Pollard called for Ashley’s “immediate termination” in a statement on Facebook. He highlighted that such incidents make it “difficult to build and maintain trust with the people” HPD serves.
Additionally, the Afro Police Officers League and Houston NAACP slammed Gonzalez’s racist comments in separate online statements, per Houston Public Media.
