The man who has been facing backlash for wearing a shirt depicting a Confederate flag and noose while voting in Mississippi has been fired from Regional One Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
According to Regional One officials, the man was an employee at the hospital, but he was terminated Thursday after an internal investigation.
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The shirt worn by the man – whom WHBQ is not identifying because he did not commit a crime – depicted a Confederate rebel flag with a noose hanging from the top, with the description "Mississippi Justice."
Regional One released the following statement regarding the man’s termination:
"Regional One Health is committed to a safe, secure, and comfortable work environment for our patients, guests, employees and medical staff. All allegations of inappropriate behavior and violations of trust involving employees are reviewed and investigated. We take this process seriously and are committed to following all necessary steps to verify the truth.
"On November 7, 2018, we became aware of a photo circulating on social media of an individual identified online as an employee of Regional One Health. The Regional One Health legal and human resources teams promptly began an investigation into this employee and to determine if these allegations were real and accurate.
"We understand and appreciate the intense feelings related to this situation, but it is our duty to perform a thorough due diligence to verify the truth.
"As of today, November 8, 2018, we have completed our investigation and what we learned led to the termination of the employee in question. Regional One Health holds employees to a high standard. We are committed to upholding our mission to provide compassionate care and exceptional services to all.
"This includes fostering a safe and protected work and care environment for all. Behaviors contrary to these principles are unacceptable and will not be tolerated."
DeSoto County, Mississippi, officials confirmed the man broke no laws by wearing the controversial shirt to the polls.
However, he is facing fierce backlash from the Mid-South community.
The NAACP branch in Jackson told WHBQ that it is aware of the picture, and its DeSoto County branch office is looking into the situation further.
“It’s a sad time that people still have that mind-set,” said Clarence Walker, a resident.
DeSoto County election commissioner Paul Beall told WHBQ that he has been contacted about the photo by dozens of people.
Beall said the man in the photo is an unidentified voter, and he was being assisted by a poll worker on a new machine designed for handicapped people.
There is a law, however, against “distributing campaign literature” or wearing a shirt with an active candidate’s name on it within 150 feet of a polling location.
Officials are not investigating the incident any further.
Although many across the Mid-South said that the laws should change based on that photo alone.
“There’s no reason why you should fear the person next to you,” Walker said.
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