FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Marsha Ellison is concerned that a former Fort Lauderdale police officer was fighting to get his job back on Wednesday in arbitration.
Ellison, the president of the Fort Lauderdale-Broward NAACP, said she wants to make sure that John Giga stays away from law enforcement.
“There is no place for him in this community, and any police department,” Ellison said.
Internal affairs investigators reported there was a video from 2023 showing a bloodied Giga after he had been drinking and harassing people while off duty.
Giga allegedly used racial slurs and Black men beat him up in a parking lot. After an internal affairs investigation, the police chief recommended that he be fired and the city manager approved the decision.
Giga’s attorney argued that he was wrongfully terminated.
“They don’t care what he did, how many racist remarks he made, how many times he was suspended,” Ellison said.
Records show Giga was suspended at least four times during his 16 years on the force. He also had reprimands for inappropriate behavior and misconduct.
“With his long, long, long list of disciplinary issues with the police department, this guy does not deserve to wear a badge,” Ellison said.
The city manager said Giga’s contract allows for the arbitration process, which is set to continue behind closed doors on Thursday.