Wealth management firm Raymond James says an associate is no longer employed after a viral video showed him and his wife confronting a San Francisco man who was writing a Black Lives Matter message in chalk on his own property.
The company confirmed Monday that Robert was let go. In a statement on Twitter, Raymond James said it has “zero tolerance” for racism and discrimination of any kind. The firm said that after looking into the video, it concluded that the actions of Robert and his partner were inconsistent with its values.
His wife, Lisa, who is the CEO of LaFace Skincare, issued a statement on Sunday saying she was deeply sorry. According to the video, she questioned James, who has lived on Gough Street for 18 years, about whether he was allowed to write on the retaining wall, which belongs to him. She later said she should have minded her own business and that the past 48 hours had shown her how her actions came across.
James told reporters Lisa chose to call police over chalk art, and he said the experience was not the first time he has felt fear in a situation like this. The company’s official website appeared to be offline after the video spread.
Lisa said she would love to have coffee with James in their neighborhood so she could apologize in person and continue learning. At the time of this report, there was no word on whether that meeting had taken place.
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