White doctor arrested at Orlando Airport complains of being treated like a ‘black person’

When Dr Jeffrey Epstein showed up at the American Airlines ticket counter at Orlando International Airport at 6 a.m. for a 6:24 a.m. flight, he got a response he did not like. He was too late to check in, airline employees told him Thursday. Dr. Epstein, 59, argued with the employees and began yelling loudly. When police officers arrived, Dr. Epstein yelled at them, too, insulting them and telling them to get him a flight or arrest him, according to cellphone video of the encounter. They arrested him. But he did not go easily, falling to the ground and pulling his hands close to his chest. As officers struggled to put him in handcuffs, Dr. Epstein was pepper-sprayed. Dr. Epstein, who is white, repeatedly yelled out “Oh, my God” and, in one profanity-laden line, that he was being treated like a “black person,” the video shows. The widely circulated footage of the encounter became a twisted commentary on the treatment of black people by the police, with some pointing out that outbursts far less belligerent than Dr. Epstein’s have proved deadly for black people. Dr. Epstein later said he created the disturbance to encourage businesses like American Airlines to take care of their customers and to push the police to better de-escalate situations.<br/>