Update (March 24, 2021): The Middleton High School community in Florida is rallying around Delvin White, a Black school resource officer after he was fired earlier this month for using racial slurs when arresting a group of people.

People who sympathize with White agree that he should have been punished for the offensive language he used that was recorded on his body camera, but argue that ending the career of a popular and respected Black officer at the school seems exaggerated and unnecessary, Tampa Bay Times reported.

“I was confused and amazed,” J’Lyn Green, a 16-year-old student who referred to the officer as “good people,” said.

“He shouldn’t have used it,” Green said, “but the punishment shouldn’t have gone that far.”

As Blavity previously reported, White, who has spent eight years on the force and three at the school, admitted to calling a number of individuals "ghetto n****s" during an arrest on Nov. 13. The officer was recorded using the word in several phone conversations, including communication with his wife and friends.

Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan said that he had to be consistent in executing punishment, citing the city’s policy prohibiting discriminatory language. White’s supporters are calling for police officials to reinstate the officer, who is appealing his firing to the city’s Civil Service Board with support from the Tampa Police Benevolent Association, according to Tampa Bay Times.

Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough branch of the NAACP, is among those contending that the use of the word should be looked at “holistically” and that White’s offense is not the same as a white officer using the racist term against a Black person.

Lewis said her office has received dozens of calls in support of the officer and that the decision to fire White seems hypocritical.

“Black folks are looking at this like, white police officers have done us wrong, shot us dead in the street, they have mistreated us and still have their job, so why would you want to fire this man for saying a word?” Lewis said. “That’s what I’m hearing.”

Dugan shared that he was disturbed by White’s use of the term “ghetto” to describe students, as well as the carelessness he employed in using the racial slur while arresting a minor. The police chief said he will not create a new precedent for White’s mistake.

“People need to understand I can’t fire a white officer and not fire a Black officer for saying that. If you’re going to go for restorative punishment for him, you have to do it for everyone in the future, no matter what color they are,” he said.

Original (March 4, 2021): A Black Tampa, Florida police officer Delvin White was fired from his job this week after a random body camera audit caught him referring to a group of people as "n****s" during an arrest, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

White, a school resource officer at Middleton High School who has spent eight years on the force, allegedly called several individuals "ghetto n****s" on Nov. 13 while talking on the phone with a friend and again while he spoke with his wife. He used the word twice during another arrest and then again during another conversation with his spouse.

The case has caused outrage online considering the Tampa Police Department's history of violence. In April 2020, five officers fired 125 bullets into a car and killed a Black man, but prosecutors later decided not to file charges and none of those involved were ever punished, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Despite the police department's past, Police Chief Brian Dugan said in a statement that White had to be fired because his language could damage the image of police everywhere.

“Derogatory statements made by police officers jeopardize the trust that our department works to establish with our community. Tampa Police officers are held to a higher standard and incidents like this negatively impact the entire law enforcement profession,” Dugan said.

WFLA reported that White was fired for “violations of policy that prohibit discriminatory conduct."

The local news outlet said auditors were investigating the Nov. 13 incident and White himself admitted to using the n-word during two arrests.

The Tampa Police Benevolent Association said it will defend White and said the case does not "reflect an act or any intent that warrants the punishment he received for his alleged transgression."

"Officer White is a beloved and trusted member of the East Tampa community that he was raised in and that he protected every day," the police union statement said.

"Despite his misstep, throughout the investigation, private citizens and other individuals associated with his school contacted the Chief of Police lending their support and reflecting their admiration for his character and contributions. The PBA will file a formal grievance on Officer White’s behalf with the hope and expectation of getting this valued Officer back to work," the statement added.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, White sent a letter to his superiors saying he did not mean to use the words negatively.

The n-word is "commonly used in today’s society as a means of shared culture and experiences among the African American community,” he said in a letter to Dugan.

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