West Hartford Man Makes Homophobic Slur, Refers to Orlando Shooting at Home Depot: PD

Patch.com ^ | 6/16/2016 | Vincent Salzo

[raybbr]

West Hartford, CT — A 71-year-old West Hartford man was arrested after making a homophobic slur to a Home Depot cashier and referencing the Orlando, Florida, nightclub shooting on Wednesday, according to police.

West Hartford Police responded to the Home Depot on New Park Avenue around 11:30 a.m. to speak with an employee regarding a report of a hostile customer.

The employee told police he was talking to the customer about why he was wearing gloves at the register before it “quickly evolved into a harassing discussion about the employee's sexuality,” according to the police report.

The employee told police that the customer called him a “faggot” and referenced the Orlando, Florida, nightclub shooting. The comments were overheard by another employee, police said.

[yuleeyahoo]

Why did the employee feel the need to discuss his sexual preferences with the customer?

[alloysteel]

Why do they want to pick on an old man? Has this something to do with “age discrimination”? If so, there may be a countersuit lying in wait.

[LegendHasIt]

I’m very fortunate... most of the black people who live in my region are pretty much just ‘regular folks’. I usually have to travel a hundred and fifty miles or more to find any ‘Urban types’

[tflabo]

No sane country for old men. Buncha thin skin ninny types. BTW it was gay on gay violence in Orlando with a muzzie twist. ISIS needs to have a rainbow flag edition.

[Navy Patriot]

Oh, they generally seem pleasant enough to me.

Good, but you're in new Mexico, and I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[fella]

Orwellian thought crime. Reeducation camp for him or an all records expunged disappearing.

[CGASMIA68]

this is new england

[Westbrook]

If he were a Muslim, he would have been given a pass.

[Flavious_Maximus]

I blame the militant gays for this.

People are sick and tired of the entire gay agenda. In another time, the old man would have probably kept quite about his feelings regarding gays.

But now queers are so obnoxious in-your-face about it that normal people are starting to fight back and get into THEIR faces. This is a long awaited push back, and it’s going to get worse.

[P-Marlowe]

FWIW, the Orlando terrorist was a faggot.

[CGASMIA68]

employee had on gloves(latex,leather who knows) for some strange reason. I am sure thats how the exchange began.
Prob something like “so whats with the gloves”

When I encounter these scowling types at check out I always ask,”So what are you pissed off about”?
It usually gets the reply of a grunt.

[Fresh Wind]

Home Depot puts returned defective merchandise right back on the shelf so other customers can get stuck with it.

[2nd amendment mama]

I have found the Home Depot employees to be incompetent, arrogant, entitled and unpleasant, with a customer-is-always-a-bother attitude.

And yet, near me, that's the Lowe's attitude. Home Depot employees are the ones that are polite, helpful and awesome to deal with.

[LegendHasIt]

Heh. Well, my condolences on your location.

(You may have notices that I didn’t argue against any of the other attributes listed. ;-)

[LambSlave]

Maybe arrested for refusing to leave, trespass sort of thing”

Nope, charged with "breach of peace" and "intimidation based on bigotry or bias".

[DaveA37]

A $25,000 signature bond for “violating” the 1st Amendment? You have to see it to believe it.

Is it possible that the cop might have been gay, and perhaps the judge too?

[Travis T. OJustice]

Every time I buy copper fittings from Home Depot, I have to test every single one to make sure they fit because such a high percentage are damaged and/or dented. Not much pissed me off more than trying to fit up and sweat copper pipe and having a leak because of a bad fitting. URRRGGGGHHH!

[MD Expat in PA]

Why did the employee feel the need to discuss his sexual preferences with the customer?

employee had on gloves(latex,leather who knows) for some strange reason. I am sure thats how the exchange began. Prob something like “so whats with the gloves”

That part is really unclear to me. Did the cashier bring up and or discuss his sexuality or did the customer make an assumption based on the fact the cashier was wearing gloves?

According to police, Interlandi talked to a cashier about why the employee was wearing gloves while working at the register. The chat quickly evolved into a "harassing discussion about the employee's sexuality," they said.

FWIW I have seen a few cashiers wearing gloves, the same type of gloves food handlers wear. Handling other people’s money can be a dirty job. I remember more than a few times when I worked as a cashier, people sneezing into their bare hands and then reaching in their wallet and handing me their money or pulling money out of their pockets along with used dirty tissues.

OTHO, if the cashier was wearing sparkly sequined gloves?

[exit82]

Poor guy.

Imagine that phone call home to his wife:

“What? You got arrested? I sent you out for some light bulbs!”

[CGASMIA68]

intimidation based on bigotry or bias

how does a prosecutor prove bigotry or bias