Quannel X and Candice Matthews speak at a protest outside the Houston Police Department on Friday, April 24, 2026. (John Wayne Ferguson/Houston Chronicle)
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A former Houston police officer who filmed herself using racist slurs will go before an independent examiner to ask for her job back, according to her attorney.
Scott Siscoe, a former Houston officer and attorney who handles many cases of police discipline, confirmed that he’d filed a notice of appeal on behalf of Ashley Gonzalez and that he expected the hearing to be scheduled in October.
Police Chief Noe Diaz fired Gonzalez in April amid a chorus of people calling for her ouster after she posted the video on social media. In firing her, Diaz called the behavior “abhorrent, disgusting and entirely unacceptable.”
Mayor John Whitmire applauded the decision, saying Diaz acted as quickly as allowed under Texas civil service rules.
In the video, posted on Instagram, Gonzalez appeared to be sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. She made racist comments about Black people, used the N-word and talked about slavery. She also said she used a slur while arresting someone.
Gonzalez had been with the department since 2023, according to a copy of her personnel file acquired through an open records request. In her time with the department, she received one group commendation for tracking down a suspect in a burglary at a Family Dollar.
She had no listed discipline before Diaz terminated her employment, records show.
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