A HOT 97 DJ in New York has been suspended indefinitely over an on-air comment linking Haitian women to HIV.
The comment sparked outrage in New York's Haitian community, prompting activists and local leaders to call for his dismissal.
"The reason I'm HIV negative is because I don't mess with Haitian girls," DJ Cipha Sounds said Friday on the hip-hop station's morning show, which is owned by Emmis Communications.
Sounds, whose real name is Luis Diaz, moved fast to issue an on-air apology the same day as complaints began flooding the station.
"I made a stupid tasteless joke that was a one-liner and taken totally the wrong way and I want to say sincerely that I apologize," he said.
It wasn't enough to save him from being suspended indefinitely. He will also undertake sensitivity training focused on the Haitian community, specifically, "the challenges the Haitian community has faced in terms of the HIV epidemic," Emmis Communications said in a statement Wednesday.
HOT 97 will also work with community leaders to increase awareness of HIV and community programs to address the HIV epidemic, the media group said.
"Cipha made an immediate public apology and recognizes his insensitivity and the negative impact his comments have on all Haitians," said Alex Cameron, SVP/Market Manager of Emmis-New York.
"The Haitian community is an important part of our listenership whom we respect and value. The suspension is an indication of the importance we place on delivering a product that respects our Haitian audience. It's a
very regrettable and unfortunate circumstance for all involved and particularly because we know this is not the nature of this young man who has been an advocate of the Haitian community and a big part of our fund-raising efforts for Haiti."
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Hatian women invented HIV
This is not the first time situation like this happen at that station. 2001 they were making jokes of Aaliyah's death, 2005 they had a song, mocking the tsunami victims in south Asia. He's ass is lucky he didn't get his ass whooped
Thoughtless comment...unfortunatly probably the last in a long line of crude talk that passes for "entertainment" these days. The lines of what's acceptable move quite a bit, but anyone in the media should have figured out by now that when you say something that denigrates a whole group of people, you're pretty much toast. No different from Juan Williams and his Muslim comment, or that white guy (can't remember his name @ the moment) who made the negative comment about a women's college basketball team.
u r right about that girl! he should get fired period
u r right about that girl!
Why be suspended for telling the truth? Those nasty Haitian women probably have a lot more than just HIV.. They probably have every STD plus cholera and who knows what else????
Nasty dirty women
Wow – a person can't even make an ignorant, prejudiced comment without being called to task on it anymore! Why, what is this world coming too? People, yell "freedom of speech" all you want to....yes, you have freedom of speech to say any racist thing you want, so please stop crying when others use their freedom of speech to call you just what you are, a BIGOT!
Haitian women r some stank nasty ppl that need to keep their diseases to themselves now go have a glass of poo water and leave that DJ alone lmao
i love how you call haitian women nappy headed hoes and nasty women. Im haitian and my hair is not nappy but is down my back and can touch my ass. and im not dirty in fact in a germaphobe. And what's so funny about all of you ppl talking bad about haitians is that youre probably white or black and are mad that haitians won their independence from the white race. Haitians have always been hated by soiry because they managed to do what others sure as hell cant. and fo ryou to sit there and insult haitians shows how you dont have a life of your own but have nothing better to do than to sit down and talk about the haitian communities problems
if the comment was made about black people the reaction would have been different. However, That comment made by Don Imus about the Rutgers women Basketball team didn't have to do with any infectious diseases the entire black community was outrageous. A lot of people are talking about haitia as the nation with the largest percentage aids in the caribbean but 90 % aware of how they comme up with that random result. Most major city in the US may have a larger percentage of HIV than haiti. The results are based on the percentage of people leaving in the country....Please give this country a chance they have enough problem already.
I thought in this day an society we had evolved, but I guess not, yes I understand freedom of speech but that doesn't give him the rite to disrespect any ethnicity, furthermore god made everyone equal and beautiful in their own rite so who are you to say anything disrespectful about Haitian women? As the saying goes in my country what you don't like for yourself don't like for nobody else!
The Haitians should be kissing the ground of America because they were allowed to come here from their native Hellhole...not protesting and demanding action against a DJ who made a stupid joke.
I listen to Cipha Sounds, Rosenburg, & K. Fox every morning. I am in an interracial relationship and live in a diverse community. I appreciate their cultural discussions and commentary. Their boldness is refreshing. Many issues plague minorities and at times the challenges may be addressed as a joke, since comedy is a form of coping and educating, after all. As over the edge as his comment may have been, I believe in his apology and his love and appreciation of the Hatian community. I will deeply miss him and am saddened to have lost him from my life. Praying for forgiveness this holiday, best wishes, Nik.
Where is Al Sharpton!!!!
can you imagine if it were a white Dj saying that he's HIV negative cause he doesn't mess with black women.
Al Sharpton would be on every station calling for this guy's head.
Where is Al Sharpton???
Ignoramt idiots like you are always there to bring down the minorities. Get a life loser and go educate yourself on Fanm Haitienne. You are one ruthless coward
Seriously???... O wow.. How would u like it if someone said don't mess with Hispanics because you'll end up in a ditch somewhere... He's luck that he didn't say that to me in person because I would have been arrested for an assault & possibly another charge.. His a** should be grateful that they didn't fire him... But i think this deserves further action.!!!
If that's the case then all of you should be kissing the ground then because technically this isn't our land... the British and other came and forcefully took it from the Indians... If it was for that everyone would be somewhere totally different.. I thought this was the land of opportunity.. But now you can see that this is one nation that has some grimy hypocritical people who are always judging others...do yourself a favor and find where your ancestors are from and see how they would react to you coming over...