A corrections officer was suspended and a FedEx worker fired on Tuesday after they were identified in a video mocking the killing of George Floyd as peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters marched past in the unincorporated community of Franklinville in Franklin Township, Gloucester County.
The big picture: The footage emerged on social media Monday, the day before the funeral and burial of Floyd, whose death in policy custody sparked widespread Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. and around the world.
- In the video, several white men are gathered beside a pick-up truck displaying a U.S. flag and a pro-Trump sign. An "All Lives Matter" sign is nearby.
- One of them kneels on the neck of another and shouts at protesters, "If you don't comply, that's what happens."
Just would like to speak about how disgusting, racist and evil people can genuinely be. Couple of Franklinville trump supporters mocking the tragedy of George Floyd. Twitter, do your thing please. This is unacceptable and disturbing pic.twitter.com/rgX37UuUEX
— Lexi Fagotti (@lexifagotti) June 8, 2020
What they're saying: New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the actions of the men "repugnant," while the mayor and police chief of Franklin Township said in a joint statement they were "appalled and saddened" by the incident, per the New York Times.
- The New Jersey Department of Corrections posted a statement to Twitter saying, "We have been made aware one of our officers participated in the filming of a hateful and disappointing video that mocked the killing of George Floyd. The individual has been suspended from their post and banned from NJDOC facilities pending a thorough and expedited investigation."
- FedEx tweeted, "[W]e do not tolerate the kind of appalling and offensive behavior depicted in this video. The individual involved is no longer employed by FedEx."
