A Michigan sheriff’s deputy has been fired after posting a “disgusting” photo to Facebook depicting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as a watermelon jack-o’-lantern.
According to the New York Post, Sherry Prose was immediately terminated once officials learned about the racist Facebook post which featured a photo of jack-o’-lanterns depicting several political figures, such as President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden. However, a second photo depicted Harris as a carved watermelon. “Trump, Biden, Pence and Kamala,” Prose captioned the post. “Happy Halloween.”
“We are outraged by this former employee’s actions and condemn the behavior she chose to engage in,” Undersheriff Michael McCabe said in a statement on Thursday (Nov. 19).
“These types of incidents are disgusting and will never be tolerated or pushed aside at the sheriff’s office,” the statement continued. “Behavior such as this brings tarnish to the badge and is not representative [of] all those in law enforcement who protect and serve.”
“The employee was terminated immediately by us for this post,” his statement concluded. “With over 1,400 employees, we expect all of them to have integrity and good moral values. However, when they do not, it is addressed immediately with discipline and/or termination.”
On Thursday, Prose told WXYZ that she wasn’t racist. “I worked hard in my law enforcement career and I am proud of the reputation I earned in my 30 plus years of service,” the ex-deputy wrote in a text. “I am not racist and never will be.”
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit NAACP branch, said watermelons being linked to African Americans is a relic of the “past.”
“I believe that the intent was purposely structured to diminish and to dilute the significance of the first African American … as vice president of the United States,” he said. “To some people, ignorance is bliss.”
Check out a photo of the post below.
Facebook // Sherry Prose