A Miami police officer is suspended after video surfaced showing him tossing Jewish items into a pile of garbage.
the officer, Sgt. Roberto Destephan, is shown on video tossing a case into a pickup truck bed filled with garbage. The case is carved with a Star of David. As he discards the box, he says, “we don’t need this (expletive) either man.”
He then tosses a Tanakh — a book of Jewish holy texts, including the Torah — into the pile.
“This crap, (expletive) this,” he says on the tape as he discards the book. He then turned the camera on himself, saying “Take out the trash, dawg.”
In response, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina has suspended Destephan pending an investigation by internal affairs. The chief called the actions of Destephan “anti-Semitic” and “inconsistent with the mission and values” of the local police” in a press release from the department.
The Miami Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police claims that the video is “heavily edited” and “doesn’t capture the full and entire conversation,” stating that it was filmed several years ago during a mold and termite cleanup at a FOP union office.
The FOP also says the video’s release is “political blackmail” against Destephen, who serves as the union’s Vice President.
Watch the video below:
Image via screen capture from video source.