Despite the multitude of stories popping up in our newsfeed that show white people facing consequences after their racism was caught on camera, a lot of white people still appear to be comfortable showing off the extent of their bigotry even after they realize they’re being recorded.
In Florida, the apparent epicenter of white insanity, a Black woman recorded from inside her car the racist ranting of a white motorist who appeared to begin verbally attacking her as soon as they met at a traffic light. That white man was arrested Saturday, days after the racist encounter.
“I literally just got off the highway into Naples and this is the first thing that happens to me,” the unidentified woman captioned the video posted to her Twitter account. “Like this man could’ve killed me at a whole red light. FIND THIS MAN!!”
In the video taken on August 13, the white man—later identified as 40-year-old Jeffrey Adam Rouse, according to Naples Daily News—can be heard shouting at the Black woman, “Hey, how much does your life matter right now?” He then threatened to “spray this mace in your Black nigger face” and continued repeatedly shouting “fuck you, nigger!”
Rouse even indicated that he’s fully aware of the trend of white racism going viral when he told the woman to “Take the video, put it on Facebook and then lick my asshole while I shit on your nigger-loving face.”
Fortunately, Rouse got all the attention he was looking for and the arrest record that went along with it.
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Saturday revealing that, “On Friday evening Rouse led deputies on a pursuit after deputies running radar at Immokalee Road and U.S. 41 saw him go through the intersection heading south on U.S. 41 at more than 100 mph.” The statement said that the pursuit “was terminated for the safety of other drivers in the area and Rouse retreated to his home.”
Turns out the police don’t aggressively pursue and shoot at everyone who runs from them. Who knew?
The statement also mentioned that Rouse “defaced two political signs” and that he “verbally threatened” the Black woman whose video—which got over 4 million views, according to Atlanta Black Star—aided authorities in finding this angry white menace.
The statement said that Rouse was apprehended in his residence Saturday morning, that he’s “facing multiple criminal charges” and that the “CCSO will request a hate crime enhancement from the State Attorney’s Office. “
Apparently, Rouse’s interaction with the Black woman wasn’t his first white supremacist rodeo.
From the CCSO statement:
Collier County Sheriff’s Office detectives say Rouse was defacing two political signs that were outside Seed to Table, 4835 Immokalee Road, on Aug. 8, when someone photographed him. When Rouse realized he was being photographed he hurled racial insults at the person and threatened him with physical harm. One of the defaced signs also included a racial slur.
Dominique Peterson, a nurse who works for NCH Healthcare System, told WINK that when she saw the viral video, she recognized Rouse from a similar interaction she and a colleague had with him.
“It was when I saw that video, I was just like holy cow. I got goosebumps before I could even click play, I knew it was the guy,” Peterson said. She also praised the Black woman for helping to get Rouse caught.
“For her to stay calm and get that video footage, which was so essential in catching that guy … good job, girl,” Peterson said. “That was awesome! You really helped catch that guy.”
WINK also spoke with Peter Jean Marie, a close friend of the verbally assaulted Black woman.
“I definitely know it scared her and me. It definitely scared me because I’m an African American,” Marie said. “After watching that video and hearing that that happened to a neighbor, I came to the realization that racism is closer than you expect.”
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