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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBethel School District fires wrestling coach over social media post defending police in George Floyd
he Bethel School District in Pierce County said Thursday it had dismissed a wrestling coach after finding that he had posted on social media a defense of Minneapolis police officers after an unarmed Black man died in their custody.
George Floyd died Monday after being handcuffed by Minneapolis police and pinned to the ground with an officers knee on his neck despite pleas that he could not breathe. He had been stopped by four officers after leaving a market, where employees had called police about a counterfeit bill.
Doug Boyles, a spokesman for the Bethel School District, said officials had investigated social media posts by coach Dave Hollenbeck, which showed Hollenbeck on the ground with another persons knee on his neck.
One of the posts said:
Not dead yet Im doing this for Are police officers the media is a race baiting machine and Im tired of it Im going to speak out every time if you dont like that Im sorry but I love All people..Wake up America.
Late Thursday, Boyles said Hollenbeck had been fired. We have completed our investigation, he said in an email. Dave Hollenbeck is no longer employed by the Bethel School District. His behavior was not consistent with our equity initiatives and nondiscrimination policies.
KOMO News reached Hollenbeck for comment, and he said: Im not a racist man. I dont have that in me, my children dont have that in them. I didnt instill that in them. Im sorry that I offended anybody, that was not my point. I was trying to show something.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bethel-school-district-fires-wrestling-coach-over-social-media-post-defending-police-in-george-floyds-death/?fbclid=IwAR0c4L5kYLW1KC0sBD8OxvTJ5VukUtmF82Apyeqam83laIC7qQ1Bt0uHT2Q
the post in question:
Alex4Martinez
(2,193 posts)Or Mexican, or something like that.
PatSeg
(47,430 posts)And a very stupid one at that. When will people learn that posting crap on the Internet can have dire consequences? He is hardly the first fool to lose his job because of a social media post.
Parents are always warning their children to be careful online, but apparently there are plenty of adults who haven't learned. On a positive note, it allows us to see who and what these people really are. Kudos to Bethel School District. No one wants children exposed to that kind of toxicity.
packman
(16,296 posts)The stupid, it hurts. I can just imagine what kind of a wrestling coach this bald-headed asswipe was.
MagickMuffin
(15,942 posts)The knee is mostly on Dave Hollenbeck shoulder and NOT his fat neck!
Hav
(5,969 posts)It wasn't for supporting the police. He ridiculed the death of someone. How depraved do you have to be find anything funny about that.
samnsara
(17,622 posts)Midnight Writer
(21,765 posts)RussellCattle
(1,535 posts)....fired just for saying "are police" instead of "our police". We have to protect our students from such stupidity. Not to mention the dumb tattoo.