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Jonesboro, Memphis Officials Suspended over Racially Controversial Social Media Posts

Wikipedia.org

Officials for Jonesboro and Memphis are facing disciplinary action for posting  racially controversial messages on social media.

Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Director Wixson Huffstetler was suspended for 2 weeks without pay  on Wednesday after sending a racially controversial tweet.

Mayor Harold Perrin announced on Wednesday that Huffstetler was also required to take sensitivity training classes.

Following the Black Lives Matter protest on the Hernado De Soto Bridge/I-40 in Memphis on Sunday, Huffstetler sent a tweet on his personal account criticizing a photograph of the protestors along with the hatchtag “idiots.”

On Tuesday, Huffstetler said he was venting after hearing a false story of a child being delayed from reaching a Memphis hospital because of the protest.

Perrin said in an official statement that his actions conflicted with the city’s personal conduct policy which prohibits “conduct of any nature adversely affecting the City’s best interests and reputation.”

Huffstetler apologized for his conduct again saying that he loved serving all youth in Jonesboro and hopes “to rebuild any lost confidence.”

Meanwhile, a Shelby County Sheriff's deputy was also suspended on Wednesday after posting a racially controversial statement on Facebook about the I-40 protestors.

The Associated Press reports that the sheriff's spokesman Earle Farrell told the Commercial Appeal that the office took "immediate action" after finding out about the post.

Farrell did not release the name of the deputy and the page has been removed.  The deputy in question suggested in his post that hoses should have been used on the protestors.

A Northeast Arkansas native from Wynne, I’ve been involved with radio for about 15 years. I got my Bachelor of Arts degree from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, where I also served as an award-winning News Director for 2 years at KSWH-LP.