SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — It seems another one bites the dust because of social media.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office announced an employee has been relieved of duty pending an investigation after posting “inappropriate and insensitive comments” on the office’s Facebook page.
The post announced an arrest of two suspects accused of stealing from a Ross store. It reads:
BUSTED! These two recent immogrants from Cuba found out you don’t take merchandise from a store in America and not pay! Members of our elite Patrol Crime Response unit made the arrests shortly after the pair ran out of a Ross Store in Germantown Pkwy with several large black travel bags stuffed with hundreds of items they boosted. Great job PCR unit!
People in the Latino community are trying to figure out why their race was mentioned.
“It kind a of hurts, it’s offensive because not all of us are like that,” said Jennifer Rojas. “You don’t just do that unless you’re trying to put a finger or shame other nationalities or immigrants.”
Fabiola Granada with Latino Memphis tells us it’s clear the message the department is sending.
“By singling out these people and their nationalities, we are criminalizing where they come,” said Granada, the Latino Memphis public relations and digital manager.
“I think we’re stronger when we when respect others people’s basic rights and dignity, and I think that post didn’t do that,” said Granada.
The post has since been removed, and Sheriff Bill Oldham apologized for the incident.
“I think it just goes back to training and sensitivity and how we do need to take all people into consideration before writing something that could be offensive to others,” said Granada.
SCSO did not identify the employee who posted it.
