OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (WBBH/NBC 2) — A Mississippi man was fired from his job after a photo showing him wearing a Confederate T-shirt — emblazoned with a noose and the words “Mississippi Justice” — went viral.
According to NBC 2, a photo of the man wearing the shirt to a polling place in Olive Branch was tweeted on Nov. 6, with the caption noting the date and location.
“I was in line with my boys at the same time. I was disgusted and horrified. We all were. He does not speak for the majority of our city. I wish I had spoken up but I didn’t want to bring attention to him,” one Twitter user wrote.
DeSoto County officials said that the man did not break any laws by wearing the shirt while voting. However, people online were outraged by the image.
“Well, I was shocked when I saw it, but there wasn’t anything we can do,” Election Commissioner Barry Chatham told the Local Memphis. “We don’t have a law against wearing his expression.”
The man’s employer, Regional One Health, investigated the matter and he was fired on Thursday.
“On November 7, 2018, we became aware of a photo circulating on social media of an individual identified online as an employee of Regional One Health,” a statement read, in part. “We understand and appreciate the intense feelings related to this situation, but it is our duty to perform a thorough due diligence to verify the truth. As of today, November 8, 2018, we have completed our investigation and what we learned led to the termination of the employee in question. Regional One Health holds employees to a high standard. We are committed to upholding our mission to provide compassionate care and exceptional services to all. This includes fostering a safe and protected work and care environment for all. Behaviors contrary to these principles are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
The man in the viral image used to be a Memphis police officer but resigned after being caught with an open container and a 17-year-old girl.
