‘Stay Out of My DMs!’: California Employer Refuses to Fire Man Caught In Viral Video Harrassing Woman Over Parking Spot Despite Public Outrage
The employer of a young man seen on a viral video facing off against a female driver over a parking spot shared her reasons why she chose not to fire him.
In many cases, people caught on video aggressively engaging in public confrontations face penalties from their employers.
But Deena Saunders-Green chose to take a different course of action after seeing a viral video featuring her employee, Nigel Ford.
A video filmed in Newport Beach, California, showed Ford in a combative altercation with a driver who had pulled into a parallel parking spot. Ford was seen yelling at the driver and slamming his body against the front of her car.
The driver posted the brief clip to her TikTok account on Aug. 5 under username @mmanuelaaaa with the caption, “Tik Tok help me find him to send this to his employer.” Her video drew about 93,000 views. But well-known content creator @thatdaneshguy reposted it to his platforms which drew millions of views.
Saunders-Green employs Ford at a media company in Long Beach that helps disadvantaged artists monetize their work.
When she saw the video, she decided not to terminate Ford based on one moment of outrage. Rather, she assessed his overall conduct and character as her employee.
She posted a video on her own TikTok channel explaining what prompted her decision to keep Ford employed after being bombarded with so many demands to punish him.
“Was it bad behavior? Absolutely. Will I fire him as result? Absolutely not,” Saunders-Green asserted. “Because he shows up on a regular basis to do the work that it takes to work with Black and Brown artists,” adding the company works with several allies who want to use their privileged class to foster systemic change.
@deenasgreen I try to stay in my lane and do my small part to (hopefully) do some good in this #crazyworld … but so many people are sending dms and being #vile , I had to say something! @Danesh yes, I do know #NigelFord . #veterans #usmcvet #usmc #formerfosteryouth #fostercarealumni #baddays #whiteprivilege #MentalHealthAwareness #twowrongsdontmakearight ♬ original sound – deenasgreen
She also underscored that the video only shows the confrontation, not the moments leading up to it. She told Business Insider that Ford admitted he got upset after someone hastily took a parking spot he was waiting for.
“The things that people are saying they want to do to this young man because they saw a tail-end of a video,” Saunders-Green said of the heinous direct messages she received about Ford as well as the death threats he got. “Yeah, we’re not OK. I’m not disrupting our operations or [Ford’s] life.”
Her video garnered more than four million views, with many people praising her response and ability to give grace.
“THIS IS A EMPLOYER. This. WOW. You are amazing,” one commenter said.
“This is the most realistic, humanistic, and genuine response I have watched on this app,” another person commented.
Saunders-Green described Ford as “mild-mannered” and “just the nicest guy.”
“We’re just trying to do business in a drastically different way, in a way that I wish our society and our culture and other employers would behave,” Saunders-Green said, adding that the company puts people over profits. “We’re all humans.”
She added that Ford immediately apologized for his behavior and that the company had handled the matter internally.
“We all are struggling. We all have horrible moments where if someone would’ve caught us on video, we would look like freaking lunatics,” Saunders-Green said.
“Stay out of my DMs. I am not firing him,” she continued.
Ford also posted a public apology to his Instagram, saying he “reacted poorly” to the parking situation. To give more context, he emphasized that he only hit the car with his body after the driver hit him as she was parking. At that point, the passenger in the vehicle started filming the video, catching his reaction.
He also denounced Danesh’s depiction of the situation, saying he distorted the conflict and “created his own narrative just go viral,” calling his methods “dangerous.”