A supervisor for a regional transit agency in Oregon allegedly posted TikTok videos mocking women, Asians and people of color.
Khris Alexander — a supervisor for Trimet, which runs buses and commuter rail in Portland – ridiculed Asian, black and female bus riders in videos posted to his TikTok account, including one as recently as December, the Williamette Week reported Thursday.
In one video reposted to YouTube, a masked Alexander, who is white, appeared to be making fun of a rider’s name while pretending to use a radio to call a dispatcher.
“I need to run one by name and date of birth,” he said on the 16-second clip. “Last name Smith: Sam, Mary, Ida, Tom, Henry.”
Alexander then intentionally butchered the rider’s first name, harshly pronouncing as “Ja-KWELL-en” before saying “common spelling.”
In another video, Alexander voiced over footage of a TriMet bus hopping a curb while mocking accents of Asian riders, the outlet reported.
“Oh no, honey, you cannot go there, that’s the curb, why you drive over it honey, yeah, you f–k up,” Alexander said in another TikTok video. “Oh my God, honey.”
A third clip posted by Alexander shows him deriding women while reenacting an episode of long-running game show “Family Feud,” the outlet reported.
“Name a job that’s dirty but someone has to do it,” Alexander asks.
He first says “plumber” before letting out the winning answer in his twisted game show, according to the report.
“Gynecologist,” Alexander said.
Alexander’s handle on the social media platform had 128 followers before he reportedly deleted it Wednesday when asked for comment on the troubling footage. He did not return a request for comment, the newspaper reported.
In 2018, Alexander was elected to the board of Amalgamated Transit Union 757, which represents transit workers. He posted on his website that he was fired from the board two years later, according to the report.
The dates of the videos could not be confirmed before Alexander deleted them, but a source said his most recent TikTok footage was posted in December.
The transit agency is now investigating the clips, officials said.
Agency officials had not received any complaints regarding the videos prior to the alternative weekly reaching out for comment.
“Following Willamette Week’s inquiry, we immediately launched an internal investigation,” TriMet spokeswoman Roberta Altstadt told the outlet in an email. “We cannot comment further as this is a personnel matter. However, while TriMet employees have a right to freedom of expression, the statements and connotations in those videos do not reflect TriMet’s principles and mission to our community. TriMet values equity and inclusion as we work to provide transit service that is safe, accessible and welcoming for all.”
The investigation into Alexander’s posts was ongoing Friday and he remains an employee of the transit agency, Altstadt told The Post.
The footage comes after recent vandalism incidents at Asian-owned businesses in Portland in January, the Williamette Week reported.
