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Mostly Cloudy Oceanside firefighter stirs controversy with Facebook post
A member of the Oceanside Fire Department has drawn scorn from several residents after promoting police violence in response to protests, rioting and looting that has occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Fox 5 News recently captured acts of vandalism in New York City on video and posted it on its Facebook page. OFD firefighter Steve Bresin came under fire for his comments on the June 5 Facebook post.
“Let the police shoot the rioters,” he wrote. “Then bring them to nursing homes. It will be listed as a Covid-19 death.”
In response, many in the community have demanded that the Fire Department reprimand Bresin for the comments.
In a statement, department representatives said the OFD stands with those seeking to end racism and violence:
“It has come to our attention that a volunteer firefighter has posted offensive material on social media. His statements in no way reflect the attitudes, policies, or procedures of the Oceanside Fire Department or its 200-plus members," it read. "While the post was in his individual capacity, nevertheless there has been a breach of our social media policy. The member in question has been relieved of duty and appropriate disciplinary action is being taken. Legal constraints prohibit any further comment on this matter at this time, as the volunteer is entitled to due process.”
