Dade Firefighter's Facebook Post On Trayvon Sparks Controversy
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – An investigation has been launched after a Miami-Dade firefighter posted some inflammatory remarks in the wake of Trayvon Martin's death on his personal Facebook page.
The website thGrio.com published the postings last Friday in which Fire Capt. Brian Beckmann reportedly blasted special prosecutor Angela Corey and wrote that 'urban youth' were products of 'ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents', according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
"They're just misunderstood little church going angels and the ghetto hoodie look doesn't have anything to do with why people wonder if they're about to get jacked by a thug," according to the Facebook post.
The website, which is geared toward African-American issues, said someone with access to Beckmann's Facebook page sent them a screen shot of his posting. The paper reports when contacted about the posting, Beckmann replied on his Facebook page that he was a 'private citizen and have the same right to freely express an opinion on any subject that anyone else does'.
CBS4 called a number listed for Beckmann on Sunday said he didn't like people calling his cell phone and 'No Comment'.
Martin was shot while walking through a gated community in Sanford George Zimmerman on February 26th.
The night of the shooting Sanford Police did not charge Zimmerman citing the state's 'Stand Your Ground" law which allows for the use of deadly force if a person feels their life is threatened. Corey, who was brought in to review the shooting investigation, charged Zimmerman with second degree murder last Wednesday.
A bail hearing for Zimmerman is scheduled for this week.
