╌>

West Virginia prison employees are suspended after guard trainees are photographed doing Nazi salutes in their official group photo

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  john-russell  •  5 years ago  •  35 comments

West Virginia prison employees are suspended after guard trainees are photographed doing Nazi salutes in their official group photo

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T



Corrections officials were suspended amid an investigation into a photo taken of a trainee class giving a Nazi salute

The image includes the words, 'Hail BYRD', a reference to the group's training instructor and all faces of those pictured are blurred  

Jeff S. Sandy, the cabinet secretary for the state's Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, which released the photo, has condemned the image

Several employees have been suspended and Division of Corrections Commissioner Betsy Jividen has ordered all copies of the photo be destroyed

21891104-7762377-image-a-65_157560140835

Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Director Jeff Sandy sent a letter to all employees condemning the image, while Governor Jim Justice called for all who were involved to be fired.



21891124-7762377-image-a-31_157561841523



Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Director Jeff Sandy sent a letter to all employees condemning the image


An investigation is now underway, state officials said. 




The state released the image after a public records request was made, reports the  Charleston Gazette-Mail .

'It is distasteful, hurtful, disturbing, highly insensitive, and completely inappropriate', Sandy wrote in the letter sent to employees.

'It undermines the high standards that have been set for our Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. It betrays the professionalism I have seen time and time again displayed and practiced by our brave correctional employees'.

The image comes after the department has faced heightened legal and public scrutiny, reports the Gazette-Mail. 


Tags

jrDiscussion - desc
[]
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1  seeder  JohnRussell    5 years ago

I know some will ask what's the big deal, they are just having fun. 

Besides their "hail" chant may be referencing Caesar, right? 

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
2  sandy-2021492    5 years ago

This is not the WV I grew up in.  I hate to see how it's changed.

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
3  sandy-2021492    5 years ago

FWIW, I don't think all copies of the photo should be destroyed, and I don't think their faces should be blurred.  This photo is a character reference.  They were proud enough of their bigotry at the time, so they shouldn't be ashamed to have their faces associated with bigotry now.  If a future employer (because they damned well better be fired from this job) should happen to see it, so much the better.

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
3.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  sandy-2021492 @3    5 years ago

I totally agree with you Sandy. Let this ugliness come out from hiding. 

 
 
 
Ender
Professor Principal
3.2  Ender  replied to  sandy-2021492 @3    5 years ago

I was wondering why they blurred them all out. It would seem to be public record.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
4  seeder  JohnRussell    5 years ago

I think one could make an argument that it was all for fun and to pay tribute to their instructor, either sincerely or mockingly (maybe the instructor acted like a dictator). 

But that argument should be rejected. In our society the raised arm "salute" is associated with Nazism and the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis on millions of innocent people. 

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
5  Perrie Halpern R.A.    5 years ago

You nailed this one John. 

There was a story from earlier in the week, that wasn't covered by our "left wing media" but the British and Israeli papers picked up. I was going to share it, but it was political in nature and I didn't want to get into that. But this kind of ugliness is coming out from the dark once again because it feels safe to do so. Let me share. 

YouTube   has removed video of a Florida pastor and radio host claiming the effort to impeach   Donald Trump   is a ‘Jew coup’ - but his channel remains online.

Rick Wiles   is known for his anti-semitic conspiracy theories and posted a video on his TruNews YouTube channel saying: “That’s the way the Jews work, they are deceivers, they plot, they lie, they do whatever they have to do to accomplish their political agenda.”

He went on to claim, in the November 21 video, that the country will devolve into a civil war if Mr Trump is impeached.

“We have until Christmas to take a stand because of this Jew coup in the United States,” he said.

“We have weeks to stop it. That’s why I’m speaking out. That’s why I’m putting everything on the line saying this is a coup led by Jews to overthrow the constitutionally elected president of the United States.”

The video has since been removed by YouTube, but the channel itself is still online.

YouTube has a three-strike policy which sees channels permanently removed when they receive three strikes in three months.

The Independent   has contacted YouTube to ask why the channel remains online​.

TruNews has had White House press credentials in the past, and Mr Trump took a question from it during a 2018 press conference.

Wiles previously said the organisation is invited to regular White House events but “we don’t go to all of them because we just don’t have the funding and the manpower to go to every single event that the White House invites us”.

To see the video go here:

full video here:

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
5.1  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @5    5 years ago
YouTube   has removed video of a Florida pastor and radio host claiming the effort to impeach   Donald Trump   is a ‘Jew coup’ - but his channel remains online. Rick Wiles   is known for his anti-semitic conspiracy theories and posted a video on his TruNews YouTube channel saying: “That’s the way the Jews work, they are deceivers, they plot, they lie, they do whatever they have to do to accomplish their political agenda.”

I saw that article earlier this week.  It's disgraceful Trump gave this insane person a White House press credential, but what else is new? He gave a press credential to Gateway Pundit, one of the most disgraced sites on the internet. 

 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
6  Tacos!    5 years ago

How is it any adult thinks this is ok?

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
6.1  sandy-2021492  replied to  Tacos! @6    5 years ago

Believe it or not, there are people defending this in the comments section on WV tv stations' Facebook pages.  "Innocent until proven guilty" - apparently, some folks don't know that applies to criminal trials.  "They saluted that way before Hitler".  Yeah, not anymore, thanks to Hitler, just like the swastika used to not represent fascism, but does now, thanks to Hitler.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
6.1.1  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  sandy-2021492 @6.1    5 years ago

Well said. 

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
6.1.2  sandy-2021492  replied to  JohnRussell @6.1.1    5 years ago

Thank you.

 
 
 
Tacos!
Professor Guide
6.1.3  Tacos!  replied to  sandy-2021492 @6.1    5 years ago
"Innocent until proven guilty"

I can respect innocent until proven guilty. At least that isn't a defense of the action. But you'd have to show it was photoshopped or they were doing it to make fun of nazis or something. I don't anticipate that being the case, though.

"They saluted that way before Hitler".  Yeah, not anymore, thanks to Hitler,

He also ruined a perfectly good mustache style and a first name.

04f39chaplin-468563.jpg

 
 
 
sandy-2021492
Professor Expert
6.1.4  sandy-2021492  replied to  Tacos! @6.1.3    5 years ago

Can't agree about the mustache style.  He didn't ruin it.  It was already bad.

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
6.1.5  Paula Bartholomew  replied to  Tacos! @6.1.3    5 years ago

Chaplain created The Little Tramp in 1915.  Hitler began his rise in power in 1919.  I guess Hitler liked the look of it.

 
 
 
bbl-1
Professor Quiet
7  bbl-1    5 years ago

The Nazis are here.  America will have to deal with it. 

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
8  Thrawn 31    5 years ago

And Trump supporters love it. 

 
 

Who is online





CB
MrFrost


84 visitors