TEXARKANA, Texas (KETK) A Texarkana Fire Department employee has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into posts made on that person’s Facebook account.
According to the city, on Monday, they were informed of a social media post by one of their employees that reportedly contained “racially charged statements”.
Since then, an investigation has been started, and that employee has been placed on paid administrative leave, pending the outcome.
The mayor, city manager, and the fire chief all say they are:
“disappointed and angered by the statements made. We want to convey our deepest apologies for the actions of this employee and vehemently refute what was said. The sentiments do not in any way reflect the values of the City of Texarkana, Texas.”
Following the death of George Floyd in the Minneapolis area last week, the city said they wanted to make their position clear.
We are heartbroken for the African-American community, not just in our city, but also across our nation.
We are thankful for the peaceful protests that have prevailed in Texarkana thus far, and we believe change can come from difficult conversations, open minds, honesty and effort.
Each one of us is committed to providing a “Welcoming and Safe Environment” to all people, no matter their race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, socioeconomic or disability status.
Moving forward, we promise to make these principles our core to guide in how we listen, engage, educate ourselves and interact with the citizens of Texarkana.
(Information from EastTexasMatters.com)