DETROIT — Protesters gathered outside the Detroit Police Department with a message: they do not think enough is being done and want to see the police officer accused of posting a racist social media post fired.
Officer Gary Steele allegedly made the post on Snapchat following a Detroit police traffic stop near Joy Road and Stout in January . The officer is heard making condescending remarks toward an African-American woman he has instructed to walk home in the cold.
He had ordered her car towed because she had expired license tabs. The officer then records the woman walking home and makes fun of her with the captions “What black girl magic looks like" and "celebrating black history month” on the video.
“If I was a black officer in Howell, Michigan, and put somebody’s daughter out on the street and sent out 'white girl magic,' I would be off the job in two hours. This officer has had two weeks,” said Rev. Charles Willaims II of the National Action Network Detroit Chapter during the protest.
Police Chief James Craig responded to the protesters in an impromptu press conference, saying internal affairs has completed more than 50 interviews and compiled a more than 100-page report on the officer.
They plan to hold a meeting next week to address the officer’s future. He says the investigation is being carefully done in accordance with union rules for officers with seniority.
He says if the rules are not followed, any termination could be overturned.
“He could file an arbitration and generally an arbitrator could restore him," Criag said. "I think the public would want us to do it the right way because if we do it incorrectly, what’s the point?”
