Fired North Carolina officer says racist comments were religious speech : TheGrio

One of the two North Carolina police officers, fired last month for taking part in a racist conversation about starting a modern-day Civil War, has filed an appeal claiming his comments were protected religious speech.

Wilmington Police officer James “Brian” Gilmore maintains that he believes that the civil unrest in America is pushing whites to “worship” Blacks and that is faith is against that.

READ MORE: NC officers fired for comments about wiping Black people ‘off the map’

According to the Daily Beast, Gilmore had a major problem with a video he had seen with white people “worshipping Blacks.”

“How many times have I told you it’s almost like they think they’re their own god?” Gilmore says before mentioning that a “fine-looking white girl and this punk little pretty boy [were] bowing down and kissing their toes.”

He considered this, according to his appeal, idolatry.

The trio was dismissed from their duties with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NC DPS) after recordings of them engaging in multiple racist conversations were discovered and released to the public. The camera in Officer Michael “Kevin” Piner’s squad car captured hours of violent and discriminatory discussion.

According to partial records released by the city, Gilmore and the other officers discussed their distaste toward the #BlackLivesMatter movement and their dissatisfaction with the performances of several Black officers whom they previously served beside. Among these recorded conversations the officers discussed the killing of Black Americans in a second Civil War, but Gilmore was not on this recording.

READ MORE: North Carolina deputy sheriff faces charges after leading armed white mob to Black teen’s home

Gilmore claims his comments were protected religious speech because they stemmed from his religious convictions against idolatry. He and his representation argue that he should be reinstated to the police force.

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