A realtor from Mississippi was fired after video of him accosting a dad who was helping his young daughters in a gas station women’s restroom drew heavy criticism.
In a statement, Starkville-based Overstreet Properties said it was “aware of videos circulating on social media depicting conduct by a former independent contractor during a personal trip that was unrelated to the company,” the New York Post reported Friday.
“The conduct depicted in the video does not reflect the values of Overstreet Properties or the standards we expect of those who represent our organization. Our focus remains on providing quality service to our clients, partners, and community. The individual depicted in the video is no longer associated with Overstreet Properties,” the company said.
The firing came after a recent incident inside an Alabama QuickTrip where the father, Tyler Brodsky, took his young daughters inside to use the women’s restroom as they were traveling home to Oklahoma from Florida.
Video footage showed Brodsky standing at the sink with his children as he helped them wash their hands while a man in a grey t-shirt was behind him on his cellphone.
“There is a man with his two little girls using the women’s bathroom,” the man said as Brodsky tried to calm his children who were clearly upset by the man’s loud voice.
The man told Brodsky, “You don’t have any business bringing them into the women’s bathroom,” to which the father replied, “They’re girls. They go to the women’s bathroom.”
A female QuickTrip employee was also in the room when the incident happened and helped one of the children dry her hands:
When the man moved out of the doorway, she closed the door and told Brodsky, “I am so sorry.” He told her, “It’s okay, some men are just immature.”
Brodsky told News 9 the man claimed his wife and mother-in-law needed to use the restroom and was trying to force them out. The young father, who said he made sure the restroom was empty before going inside to help his daughters, also explained he recorded the incident for his safety and that of his children, according to KFOR.
The man called police who arrived at the scene and told him it was not a law enforcement matter. The man was eventually asked to leave the gas station.
Even though Brodsky’s children were upset, he remained calm.
“I am with my girls, and they were already scared, so I didn’t want to escalate the matter any further. I wanted to be there for them and let them know that nothing is going to happen, and that’s really all I had on my mind was my girls, you know,” he told KFOR.
When it came to the QuickTrip employee who helped the family, Brodsky said, “I was very grateful that she was there for my girls and even me, helping me in that situation.”
He also noted he chose to take the girls into the women’s restroom because the men’s restroom was “dirty.”
Following the incident, Brodsky said there was a lot of support for fathers of young daughters.
“Take your girls to the women’s restroom. I mean, they’re clean, they’re safe. The women are supportive of it. Just announce that you’re going in there and make sure that they are okay with it, speak to an employee, make sure that they’re okay with it. They’re kids, you know, that’s all we want to do is keep them safe,” he stated.
