UPDATE (11/16/11 11:20AM): Brookfield Properties just fired the d-bag who called Joey Boots a faggot.
John Del Signore with Gothamist reports:
Matthew Cherry, a spokesman for Brookfield, tells us, “His comment was offensive and inexcusable, and we have a policy of zero tolerance for such behavior. In accordance with our code of conduct he’s been terminated from his work with Brookfield.” Cherry clarified that the unidentified man was a security subcontractor; when asked what company was doing the subcontracting and whether it was still under contract with Brookfield, Cherry declined further comment.
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg commanded police to forcibly remove all Occupy Wall Street protestors and their belongings from Zuccotti Park so that Brookfield Properties—the company that owns the park—could clean and re-open the park sans overnight protestors.
LGBT videographer, ex-military veteran and occasional Howard Stern guest Joey Boots recorded the Brookfield Properties employees standing around in neon vests. They said very little, except for one guy who told Boots, “Your fly’s open, faggot.” Now the unnamed employee is a YouTube star!
Enjoy your 15 minutes, hater.
Mark
it’s your fly
Jim Hlavac
@Mark: I know, the lousy English around this site is appalling. Staff and Commentators are appalling — maybe it’s teh public schools, I don’t know. But I do know Czechs and Mexicans who have better English. Sure, English is the hardest language — but please, learn the language of the country in which you live.
Meanwhile, you know what the difference is between 40 years of peaceful worldwide, tens of millions of gay folks gay pride political protesters — and the Occupies is?
Well, 40 years of tens of millions of peaceful gay protests all around the globe get no news coverage from the “gay friendly” media, and the pitiful few OWS gets near constant coverage — and you know what — this gay veteran down at Occupy was an idiot, and frankly, I’d call him faggot too. I mean really? End capitalism? hahahaha! The world’s poor love getting rich. And I notice the press is keeping very far away from tens of millions “Occupy” Eastern Europe Communism, which happened 22 years ago this month, to get rid of the sort that our current American “Occupy” want — and they demonstrated FOR capitalism, banks, corporations and wealth — while the creeps at Occupy seek, through greed incarnate — other people’s money. Go earn your own, and stop supporting Democrats who bailed out every bank and corporation they could find — and now support those who say “don’t bail out the banks and corporations.” Which are you for? The Democrats who did the bailouts or the Occupiers? — but don’t tell me you are for and against the very same thing. Hypocrisy is not a good selling point.
Rationality is far more important to me, than any opinion you might hold. Get real; the “Occupiers” are in league with Nazis for heaven’s sake — go look things up — you all know how to use the internet, don’t you?
stoopid louie
I know it’s all pc to support these guys, but can’t we just admit that the movement made its point 2 months ago, and these hangers-on are nothing but publicity whores? I mean, really, what does this have to do with the price of gay tea in China?
NickadooLA
@Jim Hlavac said: I know, the lousy English around this site is appalling. Staff and Commentators are appalling — maybe it’s teh public schools, I don’t know.
🙂
SteveC
Why haven’t as many bankers been arrested as have Occupiers. They destroyed our economy?
Henry
Would this ugly man in a neon vest insult a straight veteran like that?
B
No. 5 · SteveC wrote, “Why haven’t as many bankers been arrested as have Occupiers.”
Answers: (1) The bankers can afford better lawyers. (2) The bankers can afford lobbyists to influence politicians. (3) The politicians don’t want to annoy major campaign contributers.
In other words, America has the best democracy that money can buy.
No. 6 · Henry wrote, “Would this ugly man in a neon vest insult a straight veteran like that?” He probably says that to anyone who he doesn’t like – I’m not sure how he could tell that the person he was talking to is gay (or a veteran) given no indication prior indication (at least, verbally).
Mike
Queers are the 99%. Don’t doubt it for a second. Every queer person should be down there fighting for this cause, because, as a queer person who is active in my local Occupy, I know damn well that they’re fighting for us, too.
Capitalism has systematically oppressed gays, just like it has systematically oppressed blacks, Muslims, Jews, Hispanics, working class individuals, and almost every other minority in existence.
If you haven’t been to your local occupy yet, go. As a visibly queer person, I have never felt safer standing in the middle of a large metropolis than I do when I’m protesting. And nothing feels better than standing with hundreds of folks who are entirely on your side.
Even if this movement doesn’t seem like a specifically queer movement, trust me, it is. And if your local occupy doesn’t seem like it is, than start a dialog. There are few straight people in this world who are more open to expanding that conversation and being open to queer perspectives than the people you’ll meet there.
cynch
Those guy’s were creepy as hell. Zuccotti park is public space. Who wants their streets patrolled by private security who won’t say who they work for?
Michael
Hi. I’m gay, and I participated in OWS in Washington DC. If you actually do a little reading on the history of the labor movement, if you can put the remote down, stop watching the A-list, and become aware of the world around you, perhaps you too can understand the importance of this movement. It’s about rebellion against a system that has failed the majority of people.
ps. I have a PhD, and I’m in medical research. (translation: I’m not a hippy)
Spike
Contract security guard, now there’s a career! Why would anyone care what this looser says/thinks? Other then Queerty of course . . . because anytime, anywhere, anyone that says the word fagget, apparently matters.
Kenny
What do you think would happen to this employee if he said to a black man, “Your fly’s open, nigger.” Would he still have a job with Brookfield Properties?
michael
Wow, some fugly guy is homophobic??? Every time there’s a report of some homophobe it’s the most unattractive man around. It’s not that hard to do the math and sum up their real problem with gay men.
Jim Stone
Joey..YOU are a hot guy..and someone we are ALL proud of. Fellow “Faggot” here! The closet case bald guy probably wanted to check out your “appendage!” Thanks so much for what you do!! Jim from Ohio
ewe
I think Occupy Wall Street protesters are inspirational.
andy
It is my sincere hope that this man loses his job over this! I’m ashamed of Mayor Bloomberg and I am ashamed of the NYPD as well. These people are thugs.
scott ny'er
i dig that Joey doesn’t back down and takes it a step further. This quality of his can be negative and positive. In this case, it serves him and the community well.
ousslander
the guys a douche and like a another commenter said , He probably uses Fag against anyone he doesn’t like.
about time Bloomberg grew a pair of balls and dealt with that mess.
ke
This guy should be fired, but he won’t be. Now, if he said nigger or kike, he would be fired. That’s why gay people need to take the law into their own hands and fight back with guns and violence. Hopefully, it comes to that soon.
qrs
@Jim Hlavac:
“Sure, English is the hardest language”
That is debatable.
andy
He was Fired!!!! Things are changing in the USA!!!! Also, I have noticed that this website’s comments space has become a meeting ground for a group of Republican haters more interested in promoting the republican agenda rather than gay rights, why I don’t know, but it sure is annoying as well as divisive. Can’t they find their own meeting place and leave us Queers alone?
Henry
Uh oh, now he’s going to bring a gun to work and shoot some people up. Bad move, security firm.
KMX
I never liked flies much until I opened one.
scott ny'er
awesome. glad he was fired.
Ian
Can’t you just see this guy… in his tiny backyard on Staten Island or in Queens… with his menopausal wife and bratty kids… all his “buds” over for some football and bbq… drinking shitty beer… all the wives in the kitchen… tons of testosterone and bravado as they stand around the grill… re-telling stories to his buddies about the “loser hippies” and “faggots” he saw… Muscle-cars in the driveway… Every guy uses an abbreviated version of his name… “Mike”…. “Nick”…. “Eddie”…. They’re all there in their annoying back-yard-bbq-football-watching-faggot-beating-God-fearing-hot-dog-eating-Camaro-driving-erectile-disfunctional-glory… Welcome to most of America.
ke
good. glad his ass is gone.
Kieran
This is why our schools need to teach students to lose the homophobia. It could wind up costing you your job.
Rachel's bleeding corpse
@Kieran: I agree.
ke
It sickens me though that Howard Stern defended Ratner and his use of the word “fag” claiming that he had no ill-feelings towards gay people. Yeah, right. Maybe he might petition to have this guy re-hired. Howard Stern bums me out. I like him, but not as much now. Howard isn’t a fan of Mel Gibson, however. Can you guess why?
SEXXYJAMAICAN
@Kenny: He would be a dead ass bitch.. You know black people don’t play..
Ronbo
@SteveC: Truth!
picquito
LOVES it!!…. Think twice (if you have a brain) next time you feel like fagg’n around with a real faggot!!
(Dont you luv also the part in the video where he tries to hide below some shrubs?)
JamieMcG
I think we’ve all missed the obvious. If Boots is the “faggot,” what’s this guy doing staring at his crotch?
Markie-Mark
I do not believe for one second that this guy was fired. He was probably re-assigned to another security job with a wink and a giggle. He just doesn’t work at this Brookfield sight any longer. The right thing would be for Brookfield to fire the subcontractor that brought him and the rest of that crew in to “guard” their so-called property.
David Aventura
I agree with Markie-Mark. I doubt he was fired. He was either “reassigned” to another division or they got him a better paying job with a competitor.
Warren
If one of these “security” goons was taped saying “Your flies open, nigger” to a black reporter at Zuccotti park this would be the lead story on every TV news show in America. The guy would be named and shamed and held up as an example of pervasive racism in society. But since this guy is just a typical scumbag homophobe he’ll no doubt get a pass.
cccole
Is anyone else wondering if his fly was actually open or if that was just part of his 8yrold taunt?
I think this is clearly the most pressing issue.
Eric in Chicago
@Warren: agreed
David Aventura
@Warren: I think you are a bit over-the-top with that example. Still, they guy is a scumbag.
Tackle
@ David Aventura: Gays can be racist to. Some people will use any excuse(the above story) to throw the N-word around. And the idea that anyone who who calls a Black reporter the N-word will named and shamed is just foolish.