Woman fired for viral dog park video speaks out

Following the firing of New York City woman Emma Sarley by Bevy CEO Derek Anderson after bestselling New York Times author Frederick Joesph led a  Twitter mob against her, Sarley has issued a statement expressing that she did not intend for her comments to me taken the way that they were.

"I am still processing everything that has happened over the last couple days, and thought it was important to share what I saw and experienced," wrote Sarley in a twitter post on Tuesday. "I absolutely accept responsibility for how I could have handled things differently in that moment."

Jospeh had alleged that Sarley had made comments to him and his fiance at a Brooklyn dog park. He said that she said "go back to your hood," and released 27 seconds of footage where he can be heard confronting her about those comments. Then he brought that footage to the attention of her employer, and Sarley was fired from her position at the tech company.

"On Saturday evening," Sarley continued. "I watched a dog get into several aggressive altercations with other dogs at my local park, and as the owners of this dog were leaving, I suggested that they keep a handle on their dog while visiting this particular park. My reference to 'back to your hood' only referred to another dog park outside of this neighborhood park."

The "back to your hood" comment made by Sarley is what set off the chain that led to her public shaming and firing.

It was after Joseph recorded and posted the tail end of their interaction and put it up on Twitter that he named her dog as well as gave the location where the interaction occurred. Joseph's followers then began to search for Sarley.

Following his two initial tweets, Joseph updated his Twitter followers to say that someone on his Instagram had tracked her down. Joseph took this name to LinkedIn and located her job and place that she lives.

Joseph contacted Sarley's employer, Bevy, where the two discussed the incident, and Sarley's boss, Derek Anderson, fired her from her job.

"I was frustrated and upset, but to be clear — I had no intended racial undertones in my comments whatsoever," said Sarley. "I said it because it's an unstated rule at our local park that when a dog is being aggressive, owners immediately remove them so it can be a calm, welcoming environment for everyone else."

"However, I fully understand how my words could've been interpreted and I deeply wish I had chosen them more carefully," Sarley continued. "A brief and thoughtless moment in my life has now led to a nationwide outrage and hurt. For that, I am sorry."

After talking to Joseph, Anderson wrote on Twitter: "@BevyHQ has zero tolerance for discriminatory behavior of any kind. Yesterday an employee engaged in behavior contrary to our values and has been terminated. We apologize deeply to all involved."

After Sarley was terminated, Joseph updated his Twitter followers, stating "I've been told that @DerekjAndersen and @bevyhq have let go of Emma Sarley, as her racism against me and fiance doesn't align with their values. I hope this is a lesson in accountability and consequences for Emma and others."

Sarley said "I want to clairify that I never threatened to call the police. I never went on a. tirade. As the dog owners followed me down the street with the phone camera on, I was filled with some panic because I've never been in an altercation like this and reacted in an inappropriate way. That's what you witnessed on that tape."

"I've lived in New York City for a decade, my Brooklyn neighborhood and dog park is extremely diverse, something I truly love about this city, and I never meant for my words to contribute pain for anyone. I truly hope we can find understanding and a peaceful resolution to this, for everyone involved," Sarley concluded.