London Stock Exchange Group Plc has fired an employee who was seen following a Black teen and asking him questions while he was reportedly walking in his own Florida neighborhood.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, the incident occurred in a Sarasota neighborhood after Hurricane Milton hit the state. The terminated employee was among a group of White adult men who followed the teen.
The teen recorded the encounter, and his mother, Whitney Portela, shared the video on Facebook. The viral video has since been viewed over five million times on social media, with several people condemning the White men’s actions.
RELATED STORIES
Per Bloomberg, the employee London Stock Exchange Group Plc fired was identified as Stephen Carega. The company said it severed ties with Carega after it investigated a “concerning video” that showed a Black teen being followed by Carega and his neighbors.
“The individual involved was initially suspended while we investigated the matter,” a spokesperson for LSEG said, though Carega was not identified as the terminated employee. “The investigation has now concluded, and the individual’s employment has been terminated.”
The company in the statement also said it expects “the conduct of our employees to meet a high standard.” “LSEG operates a zero-tolerance policy against any form of racism, discrimination, prejudice or harassment,” the statement added.
Portela in her Facebook post labelled the incident as “racial, profiling, and harassment.” “Here is a little back story: The morning aftermath of hurricane Milton my son wanted to walk the neighborhood to talk to his girlfriend on his phone, because we didnt have power service was bad in the house. THIS is what he had to deal with,” she wrote.
“Even after telling these men he lives here they we’re not satisfied with his answer and continue to harass him.. this was not a 1 minute altercation, my son was followed for over 10 minutes dealing with this. I am so happy he recorded every moment, and thankful my child is still here.”
Portela also said the incident took a mental toll on her as she had flashbacks of the Trayvon Martin shooting. “I do not want to live in a community that does not welcome me and my children because the color of our skin.. this [sic] situations had me going back to a deep depression thinking about 2009 with Trayvon Martin.. this man grabbing something out of his car.. What if that guy wasn’t holding him back, All I can think Would my son still be here?!” she wrote.
She added: “I am posting this because people need to see that racism still exist.. This is racial, profiling and harassment at its finest. Many people have lost their lives behind ignorant idiots like this ..Please help me get this video out because this isn’t fair and it doesn’t feel good. #blacklivesmatter #blm #helpme.”
In the video, the adult White men are seen following the Black teen as he’s walking. They are then heard asking the teen if he lives in the neighborhood. “Obviously, he doesn’t live here,” one of the men is heard alleging.
“You’ve been past my house four times, I don’t know you, I’ve never seen you before and you’re walking past my house over and over again,” another man is heard telling the teen. Another man is also heard asking the teen if he “lives out here.”
“I’m a part of the neighborhood,” the teen replies. One of the men is heard asking the teen if he lives in the neighborhood before claiming the Black teen “went up to my wife.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the teen says. “And I think I can walk around my neighborhood.” “Yeah, if you live here,” one of the men is heard saying in response.
Elsewhere in the video, one of the men is seen exiting a White car and taking something from the passenger seat. He is then seen trying to aggressively walk towards the teen before another man restrains him.
Another video also shows the teen talking to a Sarasota County sheriff’s deputy and reporting the White men. He also asks the deputy if what the men are doing constitutes harassment. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office last Tuesday announced it had launched an investigation into the incident.
