"This is disgusting": Tampa Florida firefighter racist controversy explained as netizens express outrage

An African American firefighter's racist allegations have set social media on fire. Andrew Dixon, a firefighter at Station 13 of Tampa, Florida, recently stated that he was the victim of racism from his crew. According to Dixon, a picture of him, with the word "monkey" written on the forehead was put in his locker on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

An investigation into the incident was launched by the Tampa Police Department. Netizens expressed their outrage under @TizzyEnt's Twitter post about the incident. People demanded the firing of those involved in the alleged hate crime and condemned the outrageous act committed by supposedly grown men.

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Netizens demand investigation as more racist behavior towards the Tampa firefighter is revealed

In an interview with Fox13, Andrew Dixon revealed a previous incident that might've fuelled the current one. That incident revolved around a model of a monkey, which used to sit at the corner of the station gathering dust. Earlier this year, in February, Andrew and another black firefighter witnessed an odd sight while starting their shift. Dixon recounted the incident to Fox 13:

"We're going into Black History Month, and now there's a hanging monkey 30 feet up in the air with a noose tied to it."

When Andrew reported the incident to his engine captain, the latter responded with:

"Well, technically, we all come from monkeys, so you shouldn't feel that bad."

An investigation launched by Tampa Fire and Rescue concluded that the hanging monkey was just a tribute to the station's neighbor, Busch Gardens. The investigation concluded without any actions taken against the firefighters responsible.

Months later, on Thursday, June 15, Andrew opened his locker only to find an outrageously offensive picture placed in it. He told Fox 13:

"I open my locker, and I go to move my bedding in my locker, and I see a white piece of paper that's folded two times. Sure enough, there's a picture of me with the word monkey text going across my forehead."

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Netizens are furious at the racist behavior

The incident was posted on Twitter by movie director, @TizzyEnt, who narrated the Fox 13 report to his 532,000 followers. The tweet, which was posted on Wednesday, June 21, has since amassed over 323,000 views.

Calls for a clean investigation and the firing of the people responsible were prevalent in the Tweet's comments section. Netizens were horrified at the blatant display of racism against Andrew Dixon, calling it "sickening" while offering their support for the man. Twitter users tagged the City of Tampa's official handle, demanding that they look into the incident.

The official Twitter handle for the City of Tampa responded to @TizzyEnt's tweet by stating that the matter has been handed over to the Tampa Police Department.

Tampa Fire Rescue also put out a Tweet on June 21, where the department firmly denounced racism in any form. The replies to this tweet were locked.

However, Netizens flocked to the department's previous post on June 20, to let their feelings known. Users called the department out for racism and questioned whether the allegedly racist department would help a black family in need.

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Further details regarding the investigation about the firefighters' behavior have not emerged yet due to it being an open and active one.