Schneiter was deputy warden for the Wisconsin Correctional Center System, a network of 14 minimum security prisons that mostly house inmates just before they are released. “As the second highest ranking government official in Wisconsin it is not unreasonable to believe that his comments influenced the investigators and decision-makers to a point that his comment became a prophecy fulfilled,” Schneiter wrote. Mandela Barnes on Twitter criticized the meme comparing Muslims to garbage and said Schneiter is the one “who has to be taken out.” Schneiter said in his appeal that those comments amounted to a “premature conclusion” that Schneiter would be fired. Over his 42-year career, “there is no evidence whatsoever” to suggest his personal views were the same as those presented in the memes, Schneiter wrote.Īfter the article was published, Lt. Schneiter said he testified as part of the probe that he found the memes “objectionable and offensive.” He argued they were posted to promote discussion and debate. In his defense, Schneiter said there was no evidence that the memes he posted represented his views. He said the department’s investigation into what happened was not fair, objective or thorough.
12, Schneiter said the Department of Corrections failed to establish just cause for removing him. In a letter appealing his firing dated Jan. He also posted a meme contrasting the LGBTQ flag with the Confederate flag, along with the message “If they have the right fly theirs, we deserve the right to fly ours.” In June, he posted a meme of two black garbage bags next to a Muslim woman and child in black burkas and a caption saying the woman had three beautiful children. Schneiter was fired after the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in July reported on his Facebook postings. Schneiter referred other questions to his attorney, Nate Cade, who did not immediately return messages. “If I get my job back, I’m going back to work,” he said in a brief interview. Schneiter, 65, had said in the summer that he intended to retire soon, but on Friday said he wants to return to work. The state Department of Corrections did not immediately return messages seeking comment Friday. The ruling from the WERC chairman can be appealed in court. That hearing will serve as a type of mini-trial where both Schneiter and the Department of Corrections can present evidence and call witnesses. He filed a second appeal last month and has a hearing scheduled before the commission on April 2. Schneiter appealed his firing in December but was denied. The SPLC stated that the cartoon originally appeared in the Hartford Courant on 22 June 2015 in an editorial by Bob Englehart titled “Flag Flagged Maybe.Richard “Sam” Schneiter, a 42-year veteran of the Department of Corrections, was fired in November, records from the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission provided to The Associated Press reveal. And the cartoon was modified from its original form. The problem? Well, we got the credit wrong. At this moment, the post has nearly 260,000 Likes and over 190,000 shares. Five panels depicting the Confederate battle flag going down a flag pole, representing the political conversation following the horrific events in Charleston, South Carolina, and a rainbow (LGBT pride) flag going up in its place, representing the Supreme Court’s decision to make marriage equality the law of the land.Īnd did it resonate. On Friday, we posted a cartoon that seemed to perfectly encapsulate a tremendously emotional week. According to the group’s Facebook page, the original work was slightly different than the widely-circulated version and lacked proper attribution:
#CONFEDERATE FLAG GAY PRIDE MEME UPDATE#
On 29 June 2015, the SPLC published an update regarding the flag comic, along with a bit more information about its origins. A number of users who supported both initiatives appreciated the comic, which was subsequently shared hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook alone.
The comic encompassed the convergence of two different debates in late June 2015: one involving renewed calls to restrict the display of Confederate flag to historical and private contexts (not public buildings), and the other the recent Supreme Court decision on marriage equality. Among the most popular social media items that day was one posted by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which featured a cartoon that illustrated the Confederate flag being lowered and a gay pride flag raised in its place. Supreme Court decision that established same-sex marriage as a constitutional rights across the country. On 26 June 2015, social media users were captivated by a U.S. NEWS: A cartoon depicting the replacement of the Confederate flag with a gay pride flag published by the Southern Poverty Law Center was an amalgam of two separate works.