A white woman who was filmed hurling racist comments at two Black men unloading a truck on Saturday, Jan. 23, has defended her actions and use of the N-word, telling WBBH-TV (NBC 2) she “absolutely” has “reasons to be racist.”
Gina Brashear of Lehigh Acres, Florida, launched a racist attack against Will Osley and Melvin Finley as the two men unloaded sheet metal from a semitruck. Brashear approached the men because she was angry that the truck was parked in the street.
Brashear reportedly has been a member of the neo-Nazi website Vanguard News Network.
She told WINK-TV in Fort Myers, Florida, the truck had been blocking her driveway for hours.
The deliverymen from OF Logistics said they were working when the altercation began.
“Me and him are on the back of the truck. We’re still working. We’re still unloading the sheets of metal onto the pallet,” said Finley. “We start hearing this commotion on the other side of the truck,” he continued, “getting louder and louder and more intense.”
The customer filmed the verbal onslaught.
The video begins as Brashear is in the middle of an argument with the woman filming.
“You’re on my sh-t list,” Brashear said. “And if you think I’m gonna have a f—in n—-r tell me he’s not moving off my driveway, think again.”
“You can’t use that language,” the woman said.
“I can use the word n—-r all g–damn motherf—ing day,” Brashear replied.
“You’re harassing us now,” the woman filming said.
At one point, the woman exclaimed, “Good, that cops are coming, tell them I called ya’ll n—-rs….When they pass a law that I can’t say n—-r please bring it to me; all right?” the woman said.
In September 2013, Brashear was arrested and charged with aggravated stalking. She was released on a $10,000 bond and ordered to stay away from the victim.
Brashear spoke to NBC2 after the incident and defended her actions.
“It doesn’t matter if I said it 100 times in 30 seconds,” said Brashear. “There’s nothing illegal about saying it.”
When a reporter asked Brashear if it was all right to use the offensive word, she replied, “Absolutely. Do I have reasons to be racist? Absolutely I do.”
Finley said he hadn’t experienced such extreme racism before, and expressed concern about the experiences his young son might have.
“I have a 7-year-old son and I dread the day that he would have to go through anything similar to what I have had to go through.”
He added, “We have a very long way to go. We have not come as far as we claim. We have a long way to go.”
