Knicks parade attendee who dumped trash on sidewalk identified as JPMorgan Chase DEI exec, promptly fired
The New York Knicks winning the NBA Finals was a tremendous accomplishment for the organization and its players, while also bringing a joyous end to the team's long championship drought for fans.
It was also an excuse for those same fans to engage in some, well, typically New York behavior in the aftermath and celebrations. Particularly during the celebratory parade that went down the city's "Canyon of Heroes" corridor on June 18.
Fans climbed atop cars, garbage trucks and just about any elevated surface for a better view. But nobody attracted more attention than a woman who spotted a Knicks-colored trash can and promptly dumped its contents onto the street.
It exemplified everything wrong with sports fans being unable to behave themselves during celebrations and parades. And it turns out the woman responsible exemplifies everything wrong with corporate diversity, equity and inclusion culture.
On Tuesday night, the New York Post reported that the woman had been identified as Angie Baez, a 40-year-old financial industry executive. Seriously. The Post's report identified her LinkedIn profile, listing her as "Executive Director of Community and Industry Engagement for Card and Connected Commerce at JPMorgan Chase."
Her previous work included serving as "Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" at The Infatuation, a website which reviews restaurants and neighborhood activities. Chase purchased the site in 2021 to grow its portfolio of lifestyle-based content for cardholders.
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The Post then contacted JPMorgan Chase, which confirmed that Baez had been fired, saying in a statement, "This employee is no longer with the company."
Her bio on The Infatuation's website originally stated that her "efforts have helped position [The Infatuation] as a trailblazer in the pursuit of a more equitable and relatable food media industry." It has since been removed from the site.
"As a vibrant mosaic of Dominican heritage, Bronx roots, and a passion for storytelling, creativity, and culture, Angie continues to lead the way towards a more inclusive and equitable future for food media," it read, per the Post. She also had prior work experience in similar capacities at Squarespace and Saks Fifth Avenue.
This is the perfect example of the contradictions of DEI. Her job is supposedly to promote equity and tolerance. In her personal life, she acts like this. Dumping trash out on the sidewalk for someone else to deal with, because she wanted to steal public property. It's not equity, it's entitlement. And now she's been punished for it. Though knowing how the industry works, she'll be back to lecturing others on inclusion and equity in no time.