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Tampa police have plenty of issues they need to face. There’s the fact they criminalize people for being unhoused, conducted a violent 2020 attack on protesters calling for their defunding, and much more.
Instead, they fired an officer in a strange condemnation of “racism” that just doesn’t add up.
Officer Delvin White was fired after being recorded using the word “nigga” by his body cam. The Tampa Police said he also referred to a group of people as “ghetto,” and what makes this story more interesting is the statement that was released afterwards.
“Derogatory statements made by police officers jeopardize the trust that our department works to establish with our community,” said Chief Brian Dugan.
The police union is defending White, but the fact this is an offense that warrants termination raises some issues.
Police are protected by qualified immunity, and regularly kill people with little to no consequence. Police officers maintain their jobs despite all sorts of corrupt acts. Sometimes what officers DO get fired for, though, shows the system’s hypocrisy.
It’s not about defending or not defending White – it’s about indicting the institution of policing itself. A firing like this shows the priorities of a police department. Dismantling their power to cause harm should be what we’re focused on as a community.