An HVAC company in Illinois is going viral after being seen on a doorbell camera video referring to Black people as “monkeys,” during a service call at an apartment complex.
The viral footage, posted by JT Toombs on Facebook, shows a team member from Diversified Mechanical, Inc. at the front door of Toombs’ apartment in Peoria, Illinois, after being called to repair an air conditioning unit on June 24.
The employee was on a phone call with a man who was on speakerphone.
From the other end of the call, the man could be heard saying, “You know how those monkeys are; they shut the f—king s—t off. Like, leave it on when it’s hot outside.”
Aware that he’s being recorded on the Ring doorbell camera, the worker walks away from the apartment’s front door, walks down the stairs, and can be heard telling the caller, “Hold on, let me take you off speaker.”
He’s heard laughing as he walks off.
Off-camera, but still within earshot of the doorbell camera, the employee says, “You said that, and I was like, ‘Ope, hold on,'” while he still laughs.
The 19-second clip garnered more than 900 shares and nearly 300,000 views on Facebook.
Toombs later posted that what he heard was “shocking, painful, and completely unacceptable,” and stated that his apartment complex’s management cut ties with the HVAC company after seeing the video.
“I applaud my building’s management for taking swift action by terminating their relationship with DMI. But real change means we don’t stop there. I sincerely hope my apartment complex — and other businesses in this community — will consider only partnering with companies that respect all individuals and don’t tolerate the use of racial slurs against patrons,” Toombs wrote on Facebook.
The owner of DMI confirmed to WEEK-TV that the man on the other end of the phone was also an employee. Both workers have been suspended, pending termination.
Toombs said that he has yet to hear from DMI with an apology.
“I believe an apology could have gone a long way a long time ago,” Toombs stated.
