Fire captain demoted for Martin case posts

MIAMI, May 15 (UPI) -- A Miami-Dade fire captain was demoted for comments posted on his Facebook page about the arrest of a neighborhood watch volunteer for shooting an unarmed teen.

Capt. Brian Beckmann was demoted to firefighter for a post that ripped prosecutor Angela Corey, who charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, The Miami Herald reported Monday.

Zimmerman, whose parents are Hispanic and white, is charged in the shooting death of Martin, a 17-year-old black teenager who was unarmed. Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty, claiming he shot Martin in self defense.

In the post, Beckmann suggested he and co-workers could "rewrite the book on whether our urban youths are victims of racist profiling or products of their failed, [expletive], ignorant, pathetic, welfare dependent excuses for parents, but like Mrs. Corey, we speak only the truth."

A screen copy of the Facebook page was sent to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's human resources department last month, county records released Monday indicated. One day later it was posted on the African-American Web site theGrio.com.

The investigation that followed determined even though Beckmann's Facebook page was personal, the posts hurt the public's trust in the department, the disciplinary action report said.

"While the opinion posted may have been personal, as a captain with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, it greatly disrupted the public's confidence in our entire organization as a result of the reference to 'my co-workers,'" it said.

Beckmann, placed on administrative leave, must complete a psychological evaluation and diversity training before he returns to work, Rowan Taylor, president of the Miami-Dade firefighters union, said. When he returns, it will be at the lower rank of firefighter.

Taylor said an appeal already had been filed.