		<div class="wpcnt">
			<div class="wpa">
				<span class="wpa-about">Advertisements</span>
				<div class="u top_amp">
							<amp-ad width="300" height="265"
		 type="pubmine"
		 data-siteid="109460728"
		 data-section="1">
		</amp-ad>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div><header id="ra-headers">
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;"><strong>Florida first term state senator, Frank Artiles, resigns his seat</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;"><strong>He left four days after hurling racial slur, expletives at black colleague in racist tirade</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;">He cursed out Senate colleagues, <strong>on Monday at a private club near the Capitol</strong></span></h6>
<header id="ra-headers">
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;"><strong>Artiles [R], called fellow Republicans ‘n&#8212;-rs’ </strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;"><strong>Outburst was aimed at state Senators Perry Thurston and Audrey Gibson</strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;"><strong>Sen Audrey Gibson was called a &#8220;f&#8212;-ng as&#8212;-e&#8221; by Artiles </strong></span></h6>
<h6><span style="color:#1c0101;"><strong>He later apologized for the outburst, but he&#8217;d been removed as chairman of the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee</strong></span></h6>
</header>
</header>
<div id="ra-body-wrap">
<div class="ra-module top h">
<figure class="ra-figure"><figcaption>
<h6 class="ra-caption"><img class="alignnone wp-image-173303" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/sen-frank-artiles21.png" alt="Sen Frank Artiles2.png" width="762" height="406" />Rep Senator Frank Artiles, resigned his state senate seat early Friday, after racist tirade against fellow GOPers</h6>
</figcaption></figure>
</div>
<article id="ra-body">A Florida state senator who used a variation of the N-word while having drinks with black colleagues at a private club, resigned on Friday. Republican Sen. Frank Artiles called fellow GOPers ‘n&#8212;-rs,’ and used slurs on a black colleague.<br />
Artiles had previously apologized for Monday&#8217;s outburst at a private club near the Capitol, and had been removed as chairman of the Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee.<br />
&#8220;We are pleased that the residents of District 40 will no longer bear the burden of being represented by someone with a history of violence and bigotry and that they will have the opportunity to vote for a Senator that represents their values,&#8221; Florida Democratic Party Chair Stephen Bittel said in a statement.<br />
The <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article145327079.html" target="_blank">Miami Herald</a> reported that Artiles had told Democratic Sens. Perry Thurston and Audrey Gibson that Senate President Joe Negron rose to power because &#8220;six n&#8212;&#8212;&#8221; in the Republican caucus elected him.<br />
He also directed offensive phrases directly at Gibson.<br />
&#8220;I extend a heartfelt apology to my colleagues and to all of those I have offended,&#8221; Artiles said Wednesday. &#8220;My harsh words have adversely reflected more on me than they could ever have on anyone else.&#8221;</p>
<div class="ra-module">
<div class="ra-splitter captioned">
<h6 class="ra-figure"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-173257" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fla-sen-perry-thurston.jpg" alt="Fla Sen Perry Thurston.JPG" width="1200" height="1467" /><strong>The outburst was aimed at state Sens. Perry Thurston as well</strong></h6>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<p>The Monday outburst was aimed at state Sens. Perry Thurston and Audrey Gibson.<br />
The incident was kicked off by Artiles on Monday night at the Governors Club Inn, a members-only club frequented by lobbyists and members, when he yelled at Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, calling her a “bitch” and a “girl.” Artiles was upset with Gibson for questioning one of his bills during a committee meeting earlier in the day.<br />
In the sober light of day Artiles said he was specifically sorry for the words he aimed at Gibson, because they were of a personal nature.<br />
Thurston said the apology was &#8220;too little, too late.&#8221;<br />
&#8220;It&#8217;s hard to put it back,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And she [Gibson] said it herself this morning, words have consequences.&#8221;</p>
<div id="ra-body-wrap">
<article id="ra-body">
<div class="ra-module">
<div class="ra-splitter captioned">
<h6 class="ra-figure"><span class="ra-credit"><span class="ra-credit"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-173259" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/sen-audrey-gibson-was-called-a-22f-ng-as-e22.jpg" alt="Sen. Audrey Gibson was called a ";f----ng as----e"; .JPG" width="1200" height="1467" /><strong>Sen Audrey Gibson was called a</strong></span></span><span class="ra-credit"><span class="ra-credit"><strong>&#8220;b&#8212;-ch&#8221; and </strong></span></span><span class="ra-credit"><span class="ra-credit"><strong> &#8220;f&#8212;-ng as- h&#8212;e&#8221; by Artiles</strong></span></span></h6>
<p>Artiles had told Democratic Sens. Perry Thurston and Audrey Gibson that Senate President Joe Negron rose to power because &#8220;six n&#8212;&#8212;&#8221; in the Republican caucus elected him, <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article145327079.html" target="_blank">according to the Miami Herald</a>.<br />
He also directed offensive phrases directly at Gibson. Calling her<span class="ra-credit"><span class="ra-credit"><strong> </strong>a &#8220;f&#8212;-ng as&#8212;-e&#8221;.<br />
</span></span>Reacting swiftly Tuesday night, the Florida Democratic Party called for the immediate resignation of Artiles, who supported President Trump in the 2016 election.<br />
&#8220;His use of horrific racist and sexist slurs towards his colleagues is disgusting, unacceptable and has no place in our democracy or our society,&#8221; the Democrats said in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FlaDems/photos/a.288549429974.43531.7833534974/10150805091344975/?type=3&;theater" target="_blank">a statement</a>. &#8220;There is never an excuse for racism or misogyny and the people of Florida aren&#8217;t buying it. Resign now.&#8221;</p>
<h6><img class="alignnone wp-image-173330" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fla-senate-president-joe-negron1.jpg" alt="Fla Senate president Joe Negron1.jpg" width="647" height="647" /><strong>Senate president Negron, initially tried to play ostrich &#8211; Eventually forced to speak out: say “Racial slurs and profane, sexist insults have no place in conversation between Senators and will not be tolerated while I am serving as Senate President,” </strong></h6>
<p>Senate president Negron, after initially saying little on the incident, <a title="" href="http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2017/04/negron-artiles-will-apologize-to-gibson-on-senate-floor.html" target="_blank">said in a statement late Tuesday</a> he was “appalled” by Artiles’ comments — and that Artiles will publicly apologize to Gibson on the Senate floor Wednesday.<br />
“Racial slurs and profane, sexist insults have no place in conversation between Senators and will not be tolerated while I am serving as Senate President,” Negron said.<br />
The Black Caucus has scheduled an emergency Wednesday meeting.<br />
To Gibson and Thurston, it was clear Artiles wasn’t referring to them or to any other Democrats as “niggas” but apparently to six Republicans who favored Negron for the job over Sen. Jack Latvala of Clearwater.<br />
The discussion began Monday night after Artiles approached Gibson at the Governors Club to suggest that a series of questions he’d asked of one of her bills earlier in the day were payback for questions she’d asked before of one of Artiles’ bills.</p>
<h6><img class="alignnone wp-image-173323" src="https://konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/frank-artiles3.png" alt="Frank Artiles3.png" width="757" height="574" /><strong> Frank Artiles branded Black Lives Matter is a &#8216;terrorist organization&#8217;.</strong></h6>
<p>This is not Artiles run in with issues of his public conduct and utterances.<br />
During the 2016 election, Frank Artiles said that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist organization. This came in a mailer ad in which Artiles attacked his Democratic opponent Dwight Bullard for supporting Black Lives Matter.<br />
The<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fla-republican-connects-black-lives-matter-terrorism-ad-article-1.2855951" target="_blank"> New York Daily News</a>, reported that the Artiles’ ad said, in reference to Black Lives Matter, “When Dwight Bullard met with a terrorist organization…he made us all less safe.”<br />
In March 2015, a college student Peter Alberti alleged that Frank Artiles had punched him in the face at a Tallahassee bar which is near the Florida capitol: “He was trying to get by, up at the bar, to get drinks,” <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article12331301.html" target="_blank">Alberti told the Miami Herald</a>.<br />
“He punched me in the face.”<br />
Alberti vehemently denied the accusation, telling the Miami Herald it was a set up. He mentioned that if he had punched Alberti, the victim would be seriously injured.<br />
“If I had hit somebody, they’d be in the hospital,” he said.</p>
</div>
</div>
</article>
</div>

It won’t go away! Fla Sen Frank Artiles, who hurled racist tirade at black colleagues, resigns his senate seat four days later
