A New Jersey corrections officer has been suspended and FedEx has terminated a man’s employment after a viral video showed them mocking George Floyd’s death in front of Black Lives Matter protesters. Social media users found out their identities and went to work with reaching out to their employers.
According to NJ.com, commentators and state employment records identified the officer as Joe DeMarco. The second person involved, Jim DeMarco, was identified as an employee for FedEx, and on Tuesday the company announced that the man had been fired.
In a tweet, the company said, “FedEx holds its team members to a high standard of personal conduct, and we do not tolerate the kind of appalling and offensive behavior depicted in this video. The individual involved is no longer employed by FedEx. We stand with those who support justice and equality.”
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FedEx holds its team members to a high standard of personal conduct, and we do not tolerate the kind of appalling and offensive behavior depicted in this video. The individual involved is no longer employed by FedEx. We stand with those who support justice and equality.
— FedEx (@FedEx) June 9, 2020
New Jersey Department of Corrections also released a statement and said:
— NJ Department of Corrections (@NJ_DOC) June 9, 2020
The protest took place on Monday in Franklin Township, NJ.
New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy spoke about the incident and said, “Mocking George Floyd’s murder in effort to belittle the calls for justice from our Black and Brown communities is repugnant. I condemn this behavior in the strongest terms possible. We won’t let the actions of a few distract from our progress toward dismantling systemic racism.”
Mocking George Floyd’s murder in effort to belittle the calls for justice from our Black and Brown communities is repugnant. I condemn this behavior in the strongest terms possible.
We won’t let the actions of a few distract from our progress toward dismantling systemic racism. https://t.co/Rb1RUsST5I
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 10, 2020
One of the protesters who witnessed the incident said, “That gentleman is somebody’s uncle. That gentleman is somebody’s father. So you can imagine the hate that he has been feeling and the generations that come from him. That’s what probably hurt the most. To know that hate is not just being from them, but it’s being continued.”
On Tuesday, George Floyd’s final memorial service took place in Houston as loved ones said their final goodbyes.
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
