The mayor of Mishawaka, Indiana has issued an apology after footage resurfaced of his son using racial slurs while reenacting a traffic stop, the Atlanta Black Star reports.
In a video widely circulating on social media, Joseph, the son of Mayor Dave Wood, acted as a cop conducting a traffic stop in July 2022. Video shows Joseph checking a man's ID and using the N-word roughly seven times within 34 seconds
At one point, Joseph specifically yelled "Freeze n****!" while pretending to shoot inside a car. The song "Bad Boys," widely affiliated with the TV show Cops, can be heard playing in the background of the video.
In a statement, Wood condemned the video, saying it was “irresponsible, ignorant and unacceptable.”
“This behavior will not be tolerated in the City of Mishawaka, the mayor’s home, or at the workplace,” Wood said on Thursday (November 9). “This video depiction is not reflective of Mayor Wood’s values, views, nor the way his son and family were raised.”
“As it relates to our son Joseph, this has been a difficult period for him, our family, and our community. We make no excuses for the reprehensible nature of this video,” he continued. “We have encouraged him to seek help for his mental health issues, and he has begun that process and is making progress. He is a young man with a full life ahead of him, and we are committed to getting him the assistance he needs. We ask for your continued prayers, privacy, and support.”
A city employee who was involved in the video and Joseph, who also works for Mishawaka, were "indefinitely suspended" amid an ongoing investigation.
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