Captain Javier Ortiz, with the Miami Police Department, has long been known as one of the most racist police officers throughout South Florida. He has been at the center of racially charged lawsuits, where accusers claim to have been falsely arrested and racially profiled. He has also been known to defend officers who have murdered unarmed black people, according to the Miami New Times.
Despite his reputation, he has maintained his position on the force. The city has now decided to investigate him, not for terrorizing black citizens, but instead for abusing the city’s off-duty work rules, as well as lying on employment documents. Allegedly, Ortiz initially identified himself as a white Hispanic man on his application to work for the Miami Police. However, in 2014 and 2017, for reasons unknown, he began to claim that he was black on official law enforcement paperwork.
In a video, during a commission meeting with the Miami Community Police Benevolent Association – a union for black officers- Ortiz is seen stating, “I’m a black male. Yes, I am. And I am not Hispanic. I was born in this country. That’s how I feel.”
After obvious questions from the puzzled commission, Ortiz responded to Commissioner Keon Hardemon, who is a black man, with the makings of the “one-drop rule.”
“And if you know anything about the one-drop rule, which started in the 20th Century, which is what identifies and defines what a black male is, or a Negro, you would know that if you have one drop of black in you, you’re considered black.”
Now, as a result, the Miami-Dade chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is calling for action, expressing it’s outrage on Instagram.
“This is video of an active City of Miami cop at a commission meeting where the topic of discussion is on Racial Equity within the police department,” the NAACP wrote Saturday. “His comments are disturbing. And in the manner of how he used them, downright disturbing, to say the least.”
Ortiz apparently did not see what all the fuss was about, tweeting, “This isn’t news. People love making stereotypes. It’s actually refreshing to be who you are, like an American.”
