Current Events > WV correctional officers suspended after Nazi salute photo emerges

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https://bit.ly/2RoVVrF

Several West Virginia government employees have been suspended after a photo emerged depicting a training class of roughly 30 correctional officers performing a Nazi salute.

Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety Director Jeff Sandy sent a letter to all employees Wednesday describing the photo as distasteful, hurtful, disturbing, highly insensitive, and completely inappropriate.

The photo, on state letterhead, shows almost all of Basic Training Class No. 18 displaying the Nazi salute. Text above the photo reads: HAIL BYRD!

Sandys letter states that the employees have been suspended and are under investigation, although it does not describe the photo itself.

Brian Abraham, an attorney for Gov. Jim Justice, said Thursday the Hail Byrd line refers to the training classs director.

The Nazi salute was used to hail Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Germany dictator who directed the slaughter of millions of Jews and others during the Holocaust, before and during World War II.

WCHS-TV first reported on Sandys letter, although not the content of the photo.

Rabbi Victor Urecki, of Bnai Jacob Synagogue in Charleston and regular figure around the Capitol, saw the photo. He thanked state officials for briefing him and other religious leaders in advance, but expressed concern over what comes next.

Seeing the photo was deeply shocking and troubling to me and I know it will be devastating to not just members of my community but any person of decency," he said.

"This will be create difficult days and hard conversations for our state. While I want to hear more about how it all unfolded, this terrible incident reminds me we have a lot of work to do in educating about the dangers of hate and the evils perpetrated in the past and can happen again.

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This is extremely disturbing. I expect the counter-argument to this to be that they were making a tasteless joke at the expense of how strict this Byrd guy was. Even then, it'd still be utterly objectionable. Taken at face value, the photo is downright horrifying.

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Just WV things.

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Anteaterking posted...

Just WV things.

This does not strike me as a problem exclusive to West Virginia

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how do people like

not get how to like be... not an idiot
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https://twitter.com/LeslieRubinWCHS/status/1202691402901180416


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It is funny how few post this got. This is a arm of law enforce and not on person but the whole lot of them are doing nazi salute.

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Bullshit like this is why it's harder and harder to trust police.


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prison guards are one step removed from being on the other side of that cell
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Hanky_Bannister posted...

prison guards are one step removed from being on the other side of that cell

I have a few buddies who are COs and they either subscribe to the "Brotherhood" or they don't. Those that don't are treated differently.

Those that do start acting differently even outside of work.

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Just fire all of them. People like this should not be in a position of power. This is what zero tolerance needs to be for.

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Antifar posted...

The Nazi salute was used to hail Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Germany dictator who directed the slaughter of millions of Jews and others during the Holocaust, before and during World War II.

I cracked up at this paper literally spelling out who Hitler was to it's readers.

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More proof that good people dont make into the force. Mod me if you want, its the damn truth

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I mean here is undeniable proof you arent even allowed to graduate the program without being a nazi. I dont know what else you need to see

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Very fine people.
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Yikessssss

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How would they think this was a good idea in this day and age of photos being spread so quickly...

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Every conservative analstain: There is no way anyone other than the exact people on this exact photo would do something like this and hold such disgusting views associated with such actions. Any attempt to suggest this might be a bigger issue is bad! Also, hail Trump!
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dj1200 posted...

How would they think this was a good idea in this day and age of photos being spread so quickly...

Thats a sign of how widespread this culture is in the force. They had absolutely 0 fear of being caight

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Anteaterking posted...

Just WV things.

John Denver's ghost is sad now.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/06/us/virginia-minor-strip-search/index.html

look now they are strip searching 8 year olds

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Antifar posted...

This does not strike me as a problem exclusive to West Virginia

It really is.

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Skye Reynolds posted...

This is extremely disturbing. I expect the counter-argument to this to be that they were making a tasteless joke at the expense of how strict this Byrd guy was. Even then, it'd still be utterly objectionable. Taken at face value, the photo is downright horrifying.

Context is everything. The photo might look bad, but not knowing the context, it's impossible to judge. I would honestly guess that they were indeed mocking the instructor. In poor taste, because its a touchy subject? Yes. A poor choice, but I'd be much more shocked if they found it to be intentionally malicious.

Just to relate a personal story. Our supervisor was a very condescending bastard....to everyone. One day he lays into my black coworker. My coworker responds, "Oh yes sir massa, I gets it right away massa!"

Now....my black coworker was obviously not promoting slave culture, because we understand in context he was mocking our supervisor.

I'm certainly not excusing the photo...just that without the context, I'm not gonna rush to judge the intent. Although if they were indeed trying to mock the instructor, flipping him the bird (considering his last name was Byrd) obviously would have been MUCH better.

Its part of the curriculum

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--Zero- posted...

It really is.

No it's not . You can find this bullshit in Southern California too

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Highwind07 posted...

In no context would it be alright to do this for a group photo.

I didnt say it was alright. Merely that knowing the context explains the underlying intent of the photo, letting us decide whether this was simply a poor decision but otherwise harmless or something much more malicious.

Anteaterking posted...

Just WV things.

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