Yet another racist determined to sic law enforcement on a person of color was undone by video footage that revealed the truth, according to authorities in a Pittsburgh suburb. Mark Ferrari, 60, stormed into the Peters Township police station Oct. 8 to complain about an unnamed “Hispanic” school bus driver speeding on the street where he lives. Ferrari told the cops that he used his car to stop the bus by pulling into a yard, before boarding the vehicle to get the unnamed bus driver’s information, ostensibly to get him in trouble.
Ferrari told police he had to drive into a yard to avoid a collision with the bus.
Ferrari also said he turned around and blocked the bus from driving away on Manor. He said he then got out of his vehicle, got on the bus and asked the driver his name and identification number. Ferrari told police there were no students on the bus.
The plot soon thickened when the bus driver made a complaint of his own.
About an hour later, the bus driver came to the station to report a man got on the school bus as he was transporting McMurray Elementary School students. The driver said he had activated the red signals and stop sign when he stopped the bus.
The other man, later identified as Ferrari, blocked the travel lane and got out of his vehicle. Three students reportedly were getting off the bus when Ferrari got on it. The bus driver said he stood up from his seat as Ferrari walked up the steps of the bus and started yelling.
Apparently, Ferrari was unaware that the school district’s bus fleet is equipped with both audio and video surveillance. A quick viewing of the footage by authorities completely destroyed Ferrari’s false accusations.
The video from two weeks ago shows the bus driver telling Ferrari six times to leave the bus. There were 17 elementary school-aged children on board. Some appeared frightened and others were hiding behind seats.
According to police, you can hear Ferrari scream “fuck you” three times in front of the children, yelling racial slurs, calling the driver “stupid,” and saying he shouldn't have a job here, and shouting other obscenities.
Peters Township School District released a statement to WPXI praising the driver who, beyond the statement, has remained anonymous.
“We are grateful to our dedicated employees like Mr. Hill, who work to keep to keep our children safe every day.”
Ferrari declined to comment, and was charged this week with ethnic intimidation, unauthorized school bus entry, harassment, and disorderly conduct. He will face a judge in November.
While the implicating video of Ferrari has not been released, and he hasn’t been given a catchy viral name like “School Bus Steve” or “False Report Frank,” this is just the latest story in an exhausting and seemingly endless stream of white people attempting to leverage police against people of color, only to see their he said, she said handiwork undone by video that reveals just how hateful they are.
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