Rochester radio hosts Kimberly Ray and Barry Beck have been fired following comments they made Tuesday on their radio program.
The hosts were referring to those participating in the violence in Rochester over the weekend following protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
They spoke about the beating of a woman who tried to defend a Rochester storefront from looting. Kimberly referred to the behavior of the attackers by referring to a racial slur without actually using the word. Another member of the show can be heard saying "you can't say that." Beck chimed in and referred to the attackers as "thugs" for their behavior.
"The Kimberly & Beck Show" aired in the afternoon on Radio 95.1 WAIO.
Deanna King, who is part of "The Brother Wease Show" that airs on the same station in the morning slot, addressed the comments by Kimberly and Beck on Twitter.
Following the comments on the program, many on social media and State Assembly candidate Alex Yudelson called the comments racist. Yudelson immediately called on iHeartRadio to fire the radio hosts.
"Today, I was sent an audio clip of Radio 95.1 hosts Kimberly and Beck using language that is so vile and racist, I could not believe my ears. The events of recent days across our country - from our President to local radio hosts - have shown how far we have to go as a country in combatting both individual and structural racism. iHeartRadio should terminate Kimberly and Beck immediately. The community of Frederick Douglass deserves better,” State Assembly candidate Alex Yudelson said in a statement.
iHeartMedia did not say whether Yudelson's call had anything to do with its decision.