Man Fired for Racist Rant Supporting Slavery and Lynchings of Black People
A white man who was captured on video yelling the N-word and supporting slavery and lynchings on Saturday in Utica, New York, has since been fired.
"When I tell people I experience racist/prejudice encounters all the time they never believe me 'cause we live in Utica!" Wrote the Black woman Jakeila Phillips when she posted the video on Facebook. "I finally got to catch one on camera."
The footage, which Phillips captured for around a minute from a car, shows the man shouting "I hate n******, put me on Facebook. Black Lives Don't Matter."
The man then aggressively shouts "n*****" at Phillips. She asks "anything else?" He replies: "Blacks should be slaves."
The man, who identified himself as Barry Wardell, went on to tell the woman filming that his "grandparents' property should be returned."
He points in Phillips' direction and says "that might have been your f****** ancestors." Phillips' asks him for his name and profession which he gives her, before telling Phillips that he "hangs n****** on the weekend."
After the video went viral, Hamilton College President David Wippman identified the man as a catering contract employee.
"I am appalled by what is on the video," said Wippman. "He will not work here again and has been banned from our campus effective immediately. The behavior shown on the video is an extreme violation of our community standards and will not be tolerated.
"We will review our own and our contractors' employee screening and training policies to be sure appropriate requirements are in place. I will also reach out to the Utica resident who was the target of this individual's slurs. I want her to know that racism and bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated at Hamilton College".
Wardell worked for food service management company Bon Appetit, which Hamilton College employed as a contractor. The company said it took "swift and appropriate action." Wardell was employed for a month before being placed on leave due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We condemn these vile comments whole-heartedly," said Bon Appetit in a statement.
The City of Utica Police Department is looking into whether there is a case for criminal wrongdoing in regards to the events that took place in the video.
"We have recently been made aware of a video circulating on social media regarding a male screaming derogatory racial slurs at a passing vehicle," the police posted on its official Facebook page.
"We are actively looking into the incident to identify if any crimes have been committed. Regardless of the criminality of it we were disgusted and horrified by the words used. It is one of the most ignorant things anyone has ever said and is not indicative of the citizens here and the city we are all proud of."
Anyone with information regarding the video should contact the Utica Police Department on 315-223-3464.
Newsweek has contacted the City of Utica police department, Bon Appetit and Jakeila Phillips for comment. Wardell deleted his Facebook page after the video was posted.
