A veteran corrections sergeant in Minnesota was fired after a video surfaced of him hurling expletives and pointing the middle finger at a group of activists who were peacefully protesting against police brutality and racial bias.
The demonstration took place on April 25 in Stillwater, Minnesota near the home of Washington County Attorney Pete Orput, who was appointed as the special prosecutor in the case of Kim Potter.
Potter was the Brooklyn Center, Minnesota police officer charged with manslaughter after fatally shooting a 20-year-old Black man, Daunte Wright, during a traffic stop on April 11.
Activists were engaging in a "prayer protest" at the time asking for murder charges against Potter and for the removal of Orput from the case.
That was when Orput's neighbor Sergeant Paul Gorder—who is now a former employee of a Minnesota correctional facility—intervened.
One of the protesters filmed the interaction with Gorder, who was seen in the footage wearing American flag shorts and yelling, "f'k you, f'kers!" at the group, which was comprised mostly of Black demonstrators.
WARNING: n-word
At one point in the 40-second clip, a blond woman standing next to Gorder—later identified as his wife Kimberly Beer—yelled:
"All you f'king [n-words] ― get out of here!"
You can watch the news report, here:
Following the release of the footage, Gorder, who had been an employee of the Minnesota correctional system for 30 years, was put on investigative leave while the Department of Corrections' Office of Professional Accountability reviewed his conduct.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Department of Corrections spokesperson Sarah Fitzgerald confirmed in an email Gorder "is no longer employed by the DOC" after the department's internal investigation was completed.
Fitzgerald's statement added:
"Under the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, the investigation and any discipline or data documenting the action is not public until it is final."
"Final disposition for union employees is at the conclusion of an arbitration proceeding sustaining discipline."
Beer also faced consequences for using the n-word as heard in the video
A spokesperson for Fantastic Sam's, a hair salon in Maplewood where Beer worked, told Huffington Post she was no longer an employee there as of Monday.
"We do not condone that behavior at all," said the spokesperson
"Our number one priority is the community, the guests that come in the door and our staff. And we are taking action."
A post on the salon's Facebook page echoed the message, which read:
"This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
Following the announcement of Gorder's termination, Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said on Wednesday:
"The Department of Corrections is an agency with more than 4,300 employees whose skills and commitment make Minnesota safer, and I am very proud of the work being done by our staff."
Schnell continued:
"That said, when concerns about the conduct of an agency staff member arise, I am compelled to act in a manner that ensures public trust, while ensuring that the employee is afforded all the rights and protections guaranteed by law and their union's collective bargaining agreement."
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