NJ Moves to Fire Prison Cop Over Mocking of George Floyd Killing
FRANKLIN (Gloucester) — A corrections officer who was part of a group of people who mocked the death of George Floyd along the route of a Black Lives Matter rally is on track to lose his job over the incident.
While the officer has been placed on unpaid suspension, the department cannot fire him right away because of job protections that guarantee due process for certain public workers.
The officer was captured on video in front of a Trump campaign banner, an "all lives matter" sign and the American flag taunting the anti-racism marchers on June 8 in the Franklinville section of the township. One of the men is lying face down on the ground while another kneels on him, suggesting the Minneapolis police killing of Floyd, which has sparked thousands of demonstrations across the country.
One of the men was identified as Department of Corrections police officer Joseph DeMarco. The Department of Corrections suspended him from his job within days.
His brother, James DeMarco, who also was at the scene, was fired by FedEx.
"Removal charges have been served on the DOC officer involved in the video mocking the killing of George Floyd," the Department of Corrections said in a written statement. "The officer was placed on non-pay status pending a due process hearing as part of the regular procedure for government unionized employees."
PBA Local 105 President William Sullivan said the union will not be involved with his legal counsel and that his membership has been revoked.
Demonstrators were walking on Delsea Drive. Daryan Fennal, 21, told the New York Times that the men yelled insults and one said, "If George Floyd would have complied he wouldn’t be dead."