A Bartow, Florida police officer fired for calling former President Obama a "gorilla" on Facebook is speaking publicly about the incident for the first time.
"I just want to apologize for the comment I made. I know how offensive it was to some people. I implied it towards one person, specifically. It's not a feeling of an entire race," Christina Arribas said.
The Facebook post said, "Yes!!! This year we lost two gorillas. One is in heaven, and one is moving out of the White House. One will be missed. One will not be."
"At the time I was elated that a former president was on his way out of the White House, because he was largely responsible for the war on law enforcement," Arribas said.
Arribas said she was disciplined and went through training for the comment back in November.
"Once the complaint was addressed with me, I understood how my comment could create a further divide in the law enforcement and with the community, and that wasn't my intention at all. It was just a joke made in poor taste," Arribas said.
Arribas questions the timing of the local pastor who demanded her termination months after the post.
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