HOUSTON – A Houston police officer has been relieved of duty after a video circulating on social media allegedly shows her making offensive, racist remarks, according to the Houston Police Department.
Officer Ashley Gonzalez was sworn in in January 2024 and assigned to the South Gessner Patrol Division. She has been relieved of duty pending an investigation, an HPD source confirmed Tuesday morning.
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Gonzalez was identified as the speaker in a video of a racist rant that has gone viral on Facebook.
In the video, a woman sitting in her car can be heard using racial slurs and making offensive remarks targeting Black people. She also expresses hostility toward people of color and makes comments referencing slavery, racial discrimination, and stereotypes.
A clip of the video with the slurs censored was shared by Grizzy’s Hood News.
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In one portion of the video, she describes confronting someone she claims attempted to steal her wallet.
“Y’all don’t know how good it felt to say [racial slur] out loud. Oh my God, I felt like I was back in the Marine Corps,” the speaker says in the video.
KPRC 2 has contacted the USMC for more information regarding Gonzalez’s reported military service.
The Houston Police Department has not released further details about the video or the circumstances under which it was recorded.
Gonzalez had logged more than 1,600 hours of course work for the Houston Police Academy and other law enforcement organizations, according to documents pulled by KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry.
In a statement, the Houston Police Officers’ Union (HPOU) said it is “extremely disturbed” by the video and emphasized that it does not condone or tolerate racist behavior among its members.
The statement was issued by HPOU President Douglas Griffith, who noted the importance of accountability and maintaining community trust.
“The Houston Police Department prides itself as being one of the most diverse police departments in the nation,” Griffith said.
He added that the union believes HPD will take appropriate action regarding the video in an effort to maintain public confidence.
FULL STATEMENT BY HPOU:
The Houston Police Officers’ Union is extremely disturbed by a video circulating on social media regarding an officer making offensive, racist comments. In no way does the HPOU or its leadership condone or tolerate racist behavior from any of our officers. The Houston Police Department prides itself as being the most diverse police department in the nation, largely a product of that collaborative changes to civil service law that the HPOU and the Department have made through our meet and confer process. It is our belief that the Department is diligently working to confirm the authenticity of this video and will take appropriate measures to ensure public confidence and trust between our Department and our community.