Alex McNabb, an EMT who made racist remarks to black patients
Patrick County, VA — Alex McNabb, an Emergency Medical Technician in Virginia who has made several racist remarks about his Black patients on his neo-Nazi podcast, has been suspended without pay… but not fired! Black residents in the area say they are worried they might be mistreated if they receive care from such a racist person.
On the podcast, McNabb plays the role of “Dr. Narcan,” a racist character who talks about stories and experiences on being an EMT with his neo-Nazi guests. He calls black patients “dindus,” a slur, and compares black patients to gorillas. In one episode, he said, “It’s hard to find a dindu vein anyway because they’re black.”
In another episode, he reportedly told about stabbing a young black patient with needles, noting his “immense satisfaction as he terrorized this youngster with a needle and stabbed him thusly in the arm with a large-gauge IV catheter.”
Black residents in the Patrick County area, which is 92 percent white, were expressing their worry that such racism could have cost them or their loved ones their health or even their lives. Some of them were present during a meeting on December 17 of the Patrick County board of supervisors with local officials, lawyers, and McNabb himself to discuss the consequences he would have to face.
“We think Adolf Hitler is dead. Nah, you cannot kill a demon,” Vietnam veteran Charles Thomas said on the meeting, according to CNN. “Just imagine if you were a black person needing medical help and call the rescue … your chances of dying in that rescue vehicle are greater than if you stay home.”
“I’m mad as hell is bad,” resident and Rev. Daniel Spencer also said. “My hope and my prayer is we can get rid of this individual. You have the power.”
It wasn’t clear yet if McNabb ever really treat Black patients differently but an investigation by the state and his employer has since been launched. McNabb denied the allegations, initially claiming that his words are fictional and entertainment, which is protected by the First Amendment.
During the meeting, the chair of the supervisors, Lock Boyce, said he wanted JEB Stuart to fire McNabb immediately. He told McNabb at the meeting, “I ran rescue around here for over 10 years — everyone that I ran rescue squad with was a compassionate human being. You have sullied that reputation.”
Boyce warned that JEB Stuart will not receive funding until they terminate McNabb, but no other supervisor supported him. They only passed a motion stating that the county condemns acts of hate and white supremacy.
Wren Williams, the lawyer for JEB Stuart, argued that the county should wait for the result of the state investigation before deciding to defund what he called an important source of emergency help in the county. He said, “Now that Mr. McNabb has been placed on unpaid leave, we know that he cannot harm any individuals under our care.”
The meeting eventually became more heated as Boyce talked to McNabb.
“‘Dr. Narcan terrorized that youngster with a needle and stabbed him in the arm’ using an improper needle size. Did you say that? Do you make that up? Do you think that’s funny?” Boyce asked.
“I think it’s funny,” McNabb said. “My audience thinks it’s funny.”
“I don’t find any of these things entertaining,” Boyce said, eventually wrapping up the argument with, “I am sorry that the county board of supervisors didn’t bring all of the pressure that they could bring to bear to fire Mr. McNabb. I think he should never been hired. And once his views were known he should have been fired immediately.”
Watch the news coverage below: