Mark Allen Bartlett was arrested earlier this week and charged with carrying a concealed firearm after he approached a group of black teens protesting on bicycles with a gun and repeatedly called them the “n-word.” But, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle doesn’t think that charge is good enough and has assigned the case to their hate crimes unit for further investigation.
Rundle said, “I am committed to filing the appropriate charges and to vigorously prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law. She stated that she was “outraged at the reported acts depicted in the videos taken during this incident.”
Bartlett spoke with WPLG and said he was trying to protect his girlfriend, Dana Scalione, and pointed the finger at black people themselves when defending why he used the n-word. He said, “The reason why we use that word, the reason why Chinese people use the word, why Japanese people, European people, the reason why everybody uses that word is because black people use that word.”
He continued, “Nobody uses those words anymore. Why? Because Puerto Ricans don’t say that to each other. Because Asian people don’t say that to each other. Because the Jewish people don’t say that to each other. The only ones that continue to say it are black people. So what’s the first thing in my head or most people’s heads? Unfortunately, it’s the n-word.”
The demonstration “Wheels Up, Guns Down” in Miami’s Brickell neighborhood takes place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is meant to promote peace but has generated controversy over the years and usually ends in numerous arrests for illegal ATV and dirt-bike riding.
What do you think about the judge’s decision? Do you think his reasoning for using racial slurs was justified? Speak on it!
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