FLORIDA — A local television news producer was suspended from her job after being filmed using a racial slur during an argument with her neighbor.
That neighborly argument erupted over a longstanding parking issue. The dispute itself was between Robin Cross, a producer at WSVN 7 News Miami, and next door neighbor Robert Fenton.
But the underlying problem was apparently enough to prompt Cross into slurring someone who was seemingly unrelated to the parking issue whatsoever.
Near the end of the heated argument, the senior Fenton recorded Cross referring to his son’s girlfriend using the n-word.
In the video, Cross and the elder Fenton are engaged in a night-time bout of cross-shouting–much of which is indistinguishable. Eventually, Cross says:
You don’t own the fucking road. Yes, I used the word “fucking” if you haven’t heard it before. Except for your fucking son who’s dating a fucking [n-word].
The younger Fenton’s girlfriend is black.
As she walks away, Cross can be heard verbally underlining her racially-bigoted outburst. She says, “Finally, I said it out loud.”
In comments to the New York Daily News, Avery Fenton said:
When we visit my parents’ house we just park the car and walk inside, it’s not like we are spending an extensive amount of time outside. My girlfriend and I have never spoken to this woman and the fact that we were even brought up in the conversation doesn’t make sense.
Fenton also opined a bit on the parking situation, noting, “When Ms. Cross does not block my parents’ driveway, we don’t say anything. There is a spot in front of my parents’ house and when someone takes it and isn’t blocking the driveway, they are entitled.”
In a letter to Cross’ employer, Fenton requested she be fired. He wrote, in part, “I am not looking to ruin her life or future employment but I do think the punishment should be commensurate with what happened. Your employee reduced my girlfriend to nothing other than a slur based off of the color of her skin last night. I am simply looking to see your employee terminated, which I believe in light of the events, is fair recourse.”
Law&Crime reached out to both Cross and WSVN for comment on this story, but no responses were forthcoming at the time of publication.
[image via screengrab/Robert Fenton; video courtesy Miami New Times]
Follow Colin Kalmbacher on Twitter: @colinkalmbacher
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