Dunkin’ Employees Fired After Dumping Water on Homeless Man

Dunkin' in Syracuse has fired the employees who dumped ice water on homeless man and then posted the video on social media.

The incident took place at the North Salina Street Dunkin' in Syracuse. The video, posted by Samuel Breazeal on Facebook, shows an unseen perpetrator dumping water on a man identified as Jeremy Dufresne, while another individual (or individuals) laugh in the background.

The incident sparked protests outside the store yesterday, with protesters carrying signs saying #homelesslivesmatter.

Dunkin' initially announced that the employees were suspended pending an investigation, but later in the day announced their termination.

The victim's Aunt tells CNYCentral.com that Jeremy suffers from schizophrenia, and is disabled. She says he was just trying to charge his cell phone to call his mother.

There are so many elements of this story that are disturbing, it's hard to wrap your brain around it. That we can treat with such cruelty a man that clearly deserves our sympathy is heartbreaking. The fact that the video was then shared on social media - perhaps recorded solely for the purpose of posting to social media - is even more upsetting. What kind of person would ADVERTISE this kind of behavior?

The employees have now been terminated, and according to Syracuse.com, the incident has been referred to the District Attorney for investigation, but does that even begin to address the issues at play here?

Have we become conditioned to see the homeless (or refugees, or people who view the world differently than us) as less deserving of respect? Is social media turning us into giant @#$%s who act, thinking only of views and clicks, rather than humanity?

What do you think?