A police officer in the city of Coral Springs, in South Florida, was suspended with two weeks without pay for posting two videos on Tik Tok in which he joked about Mexicans and that his superiors found offensive, a local media reported this Friday.
Officer Gilbert Monzón, 36 years, of Cuban origin, published two videos in which “the difficult situation of Mexicans in the United States is disparaged,” according to a report by the Coral Springs Police, in Broward County, and echoed this Friday by the local newspaper the Sun Sentinel.
In one of the videos, a person is heard simulating the voice of a robot that says “looking for Mexicans,” and then stops in front of a Hispanic-looking officer who says: “We have a Mexican.”
In another of the videos, both discovered by a social network user who denounced the mayor’s office and two local commissioners, someone is heard singing “Donald Trump, send me home, back to where I belong, back to Mexico , to see my dad. “
The unit’s internal affairs unit called the incident “unprofessional” and said it did not meet the institution’s standards. Monzón, who served his 80-hour suspension between the months of September and October, is an officer with 12 years in the unit and was even one of those congratulated for his response during the 2018 massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
The agent alleged to his superiors that the videos were made in a satirical spirit and “to connect with the newest officers at work.” He added that he even “is known as the Mexican sergeant”, who did not mean any offense and rather laugh at himself. According to the media, the agent must also complete 40 hours of training on racial sensitivity and prejudice. Broward County Police Union Chief Rod Skirvin noted that the videos were “sent from one officer to another and none of the officers found it offensive,” calling Monzón a “hero” with a long career.