News September 10, 2021
White Amazon Manager Accused of Hurling Racial Slurs at Black Amazon Driver

A white Amazon manager is being accused of hurling racial slurs at a Black driver who works for the same company.
In Ring doorbell footage that shows part of the confrontation, a white man identified as Brad Boynton — who, per reported screenshots of his LinkedIn profile, works as a program manager for Amazon’s transportation services — is heard yelling at Nikolas Mayrant, a Black Amazon Driver Associate, accusing him of violating company policies while delivering a package to Boynton’s Cornelius, North Carolina, home.
It also appears Boynton is on a phone call with another person, who outlets believe is another Amazon employee.
“I told you seven times to walk the ---- away,” Boynton tells Mayrant before reprimanding him for walking on the grass.
Boynton is then heard muttering words that many believe are racial slurs.
As reported by Revolt, in Mayrant’s since-deleted GoFundMe page, he says the altercation began after Mayrant “park[ed] awkwardly on a narrow street” to avoid other parked cars.
“After waiting behind my van for no longer than 20 seconds, the individual slammed the door in my face whilst I was trying to deliver his package to him,” Mayrant said about Boynton, who he said also began taking pictures of him.
Per the GoFundMe, Mayrant said Boynton sent the footage to his Amazon colleague and station manager, which allegedly led to Mayrant being fired. Other outlets say Mayrant was suspended.
“This is nepotism and racism at its finest,” Mayrant reportedly wrote on his GoFundMe page.
Following the incident, Mayrant’s sister Heather Rose posted the video on her Instagram page and called the event “heartbreaking.”
“I know racism is still alive, mean I see it all the time on the internet & it hurts me then, but it’s a little more heart breaking & shocking to see when it’s my blood brother,” Heather wrote. “Anyone who knows my brother knows he is the most quiet person & stays to hisself!”
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The case also caught the attention of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who called the incident “unacceptable.”
This is unacceptable! A Black Amazon driver was FIRED from his job after a neighborhood resident called him racial slurs & harassed him while taking photos of him. Why was this young man terminated when he was the victim of this shameful harassment?!
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 8, 2021 @AttorneyCrump
🎥: msheatherrose on IG pic.twitter.com/h5Q5XTycgp
This week, Amazon spoke to the Daily Mail and claimed Boynton did not use a racial slur, and instead said, “Nader, Nader,” to the person on the other line who was “someone by the name of Nader.”
Despite reports that Mayrant was suspended and/or fired, Amazon claims Mayrant was never terminated and is still an active driver with the company.
On the flip side, Amazon says Boynton was the one who got fired.
“We were deeply concerned by what we observed in the video and opened an investigation into the incident,” the company said in a statement.
“After speaking with both parties and working quickly to understand exactly what transpired, we took immediate action. We do not condone bullying or harassing behavior of any type and as a result of our investigation, we’ve terminated the individual shown bullying our delivery partner.”