Jail official in Tennessee resigns after Facebook posts on the KKK, Muslims and the Obamas
A deputy director of the Shelby County Corrections Center has resigned because of derogatory posts on his Facebook page.
The corrections center said in a news release that David Barber resigned Tuesday. The release said Barber’s resignation came after discussing the “offensive nature of the comments and the impact they would have on the corrections center.”
The release said Barber’s occupation was evident to anyone who accessed his Facebook page.
Corrections Director William Gupton accepted Barber’s resignation.
Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr. said government leaders are held to high standards, on and off the job.
Barber has been with the corrections center for 17 years, including two years as deputy director.
Luttrell told local news organizations on Tuesday that he and other officials were made aware of the posts on Friday.
“I was appalled. I was offended. It was in very poor taste,” Luttrell said.
In one post, Barber wrote: “The KKK is more American than the illegal president.” In another he forecast that a Trump victory might force the Obamas to flee to an Arab country where: “Hopefully the Muslims will eliminate him and mooshelle as queers.”
Lutrell said they asked Barber to remove the posts, which he did. At that point, Lutrell said, they started to consider what discipline options they had.
The mayor said the comments made on Barber’s private social media page did not appear to violate any official policies. But he said they determined the statements did have an adverse impact on his public position.
Lutrell said Barber expressed remorse for his postings when he offered his resignation.
“He should have known better,” Lutrell said. “What he did was intolerable.”
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UPDATES:
8:15 a.m. This article updates with additional details about Barber’s Facebook posts and the mayor’s comments to local media.
This article was originally published Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 8:25 p.m.
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