(Washington Examiner) A Hispanic police officer in Miami is facing calls for his resignation after he said he identifies as a black man.
Miami Police Capt. Javier Ortiz made the remarks during a meeting after other officers filed a complaint about racial disparity within the police department, according to NBC News. Ortiz faced accusations from Sgt. Stanley Jean-Poix that he declared himself a black man on police exams to get promoted.
“So, the question is, why is it that every time he finishes an exam, he goes back to white Hispanic male?” Jean-Poix said at the meeting on Friday.
Ortiz responded by discussing the “one-drop rule,” which is a belief that anyone with black heritage, even a very small amount, is considered black. During the meeting, Ortiz said he was not Hispanic but said he has identified as a white man in past documents.
“Well, I learned that there are people in my family that are mixed, that are black,” he said. “And, if you know anything about the ‘one-drop rule,’ which started in the 20th century, which is what identifies and defines what a black man is, or a negro.”
Rubin Roberts, chairman of the NAACP’s Miami-Dade branch, said that Ortiz should lose his job over the controversy.