Ashley Gonzalez, an officer with the Houston Police Department, was suspended after a social media video in which she was purportedly seen going on a racist rant against Black people. The video and the suspension have made Gonzalez equally viral among conservatives and liberals, but for vastly different reasons.
On Monday (April 20), the HPD acknowledged the video, which was shared on social media by an anonymous user, saying that they are investigating. The HPD did not confirm if the individual in the video is indeed Ashley Gonzalez, but added that she is being relieved of her duties till the investigation is complete.
Fox 26 has confirmed that Gonzalez is a graduate of the US Army Cadet Academy and served briefly in the US Navy. The viral video of the Navy-tuned-police-officer in Texas has sparked reaction from the local community as well as on social media.
What Did HPD Officer Ashley Gonzalez Say?
What has attracted a lot of curiosity after the racist rant row involving officer Ashley Gonzalez is what exactly she said. The now viral video has millions of views, and Gonzalez can allegedly be seen using many racial remarks while talking about Black people.
In the alleged video of Gonzalez, the officer is purportedly seen using the word “n****” multiple times and saying how she “hated Black people” as she talked about an incident that happened while she was off duty. She allegedly said that she “felt good” about using the racist slurs about Black people.
She said: “The amount of times that I will always and forever say that I fucking hate n******. Oh my god I fucking I fucking hate c*****. Like I hate y’all like you like I don’t fucking know We were slaves isn’t that I don’t give a fuck n***** like for a fucking reason you guys were fucking slaves.
“You guys don’t know anything better than a fucking steal like oh my fucking god n***** Like I was literally eating fucking food with my friend.”
She then purportedly went on to describe the incident, and using racist slurs multiple times in the process.
Houston Police Officers’ Union Issue Statement
The Houston Police Officers’ Union issued a statement after the viral video, calling the comments allegedly made by Ashley Gonzalez “racist” and “offensive.” They described the video as “disturbing.”
The statement read: “In no way does the HPOU or its leadership condone or tolerate racist behavior from any of our officers. The Houston Police Department prides itself as being the most diverse police department in the nation, largely a product of the collaborative changes to civil service law that the HPOU and the Department have made through our meet and confer process. It is our belief that the Department is diligently working to confirm the authenticity of this video and will take appropriate measures to ensure public confidence and trust between our Department and our community.”