Upper East Side

Viral Video of Driver Yelling Racist Slur at Sanitation Worker in NYC Sparks Outrage

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A man who was caught on video yelling an anti-Black slur against a New York City sanitation worker over the weekend is now not only the subject of online scrutiny -- but city leaders also say they're taking a deeper look into the incident.

The video was recorded by a witness who says a driver got out of his vehicle on East 85th Street in the Upper West Side to yell at the sanitation worker to "get out of the middle of the street," followed by expletives and the racial slur.

The driver was recognized by many after the video was posted online. His former employer, adult film company Helix Studios, says the entertainer who went by the name Dustin Gold hasn't worked for the company since 2014 and confirmed that it will be removing all videos that feature him.

After the driver got back in his vehicle, he noticed someone was recording him and asked what they were going to do with the video. The witness said, "I'm going to put this on YouTube."

The driver said, "OK, I'll get fans, honey. That's what I'll do." The witness started to walk away but said he wasn't going anywhere. That's when the driver threatened to beat him up. The driver then got out of his car, took the phone out of the witness's hand and threw it across the street.

"You could tell he felt too comfortable stating the n-word. Then to assault the person, this is a sense of entitlement that needs to be nipped in the bud," City Council Candidate Anthony Beckford said after he brought attention to the video.

Upper East Side neighbors say they were disgusted and hurt by the actions in the video. Anna Timmins-Degregory said she was heading to a Black Lives Matter vigil nearby.

"It's really sad that a couple blocks away we’re fighting for that type of stuff to end. Sadly, I'm not surprised," she said.

After the video was brought to City Hall's attention, city leaders told NBC New York they'd take a deeper look, adding, "These are disgusting words and actions that have no place in New York City. Whoever this person thinks they are, they deserve to be brought to justice."

It's unclear what actions, if any, will be taken against the driver. But Beckford says he's thankful for the witness who exposed this behavior.

"Showing people who are racist, showing Black people who is racist and who is not. Hate has no place anywhere in our city," Beckford said.

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