An unsettling video circulating the internet has landed a Pennsylvania jail corrections officer in hot water after he was seen spewing racist and inflammatory language while holding a baseball bat covered with barbed wire that purportedly had the term “(N-word) beater” on it.
Brian Davis has been suspended from his job at the Allegheny County Jail, KDKA reported. But calls are mounting for him to be fired.
In the footage, which started going viral last week, Davis is seen holding the bat and saying, “I don’t give a f**k,” then slowly enunciating the words, “n****r beater.”
It’s unclear when or where the video was taken, but a jail spokesperson confirmed Davis’ suspension as well as the launch of a full investigation into his conduct seen in the clip.
“We can say the ACJ administration, from Warden [Trevor] Wingard down, expects professionalism from all jail employees,” the spokesperson said. “The jail does not tolerate racist or abusive language or behavior. We are investigating the situation, and if the allegations are found to be true, it will be dealt with appropriately.”
Tanisha Long, a community organizer with the Abolitionist Law Center in Pittsburgh, stated that the appropriate action would be Davis’ swift termination, asserting that the inmate makeup of the Allegheny County Jail makes him unfit to serve the facility.
“We need to remember that jail is 65% Black. 65% Black and you have a corrections officer proudly waving a bat with barbed wire that says ‘N-word beater’ on it,” Long said to Pittsburgh-area station WPXI this week. “He needs to go. He needs to do some soul-searching and figure out what it is about Black people that he does not like. But I also think we need to talk to every single person in that jail who has had an encounter with him.”
She added: “For someone who’s just devoutly, openly and violently racist, it’s scary, it’s terrifying. The jail has to move fast.”
At-large Allegheny County Council Member Bethany Hallam, who also serves on the jail’s oversight board, shared that she was also disturbed by the video.
She called for an investigation into every grievance filed against Davis, who has been employed at the jail for five years.
“To know that this person was responsible for keeping them safe in that facility, and he had these horrible and disgusting views, it’s disappointing to me,” Hallam said. “I’m happy that it got out there, that we now know how he’s been thinking this whole time.”
Brian Englert, president of the jail’s corrections officers union, said that Davis’ actions are a clear violation of county policy.
“This is a troubling, straightforward charge that violates the county policy we must all abide by,” Englert said. “My understanding is he’s currently suspended pending an HR investigation. ACPEIU membership is made up of a robust group of officers across gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We hold an obligation of fair representation to members despite the severity of charges until the HR investigation wraps up.”
