Fort Jackson investigating ‘racially motivated’ social media comment by soldier
Fort Jackson is investigating a “racially motivated” social media post by a soldier.
Brig. Gen. Milford Beagle, the fort’s commanding general, posted on Facebook Monday night that a “racially-motivated social media post this weekend about events across the country is inconsistent with our Army values. We take these matters seriously and work to resolve them in an expeditious manner. We are inquiring into this matter and appreciate those who expressed concern.”
A spokesman for the post said Fort Jackson received a complaint about the comments from someone who is “believed to be” a soldier at the Columbia fort.
Fort Jackson is the U.S. Army’s largest basic training post, turning out up to 50,000 new soldiers each year and conducting advanced training for 20,000 more soldiers, from drill sergeants to chaplains.
Fort Jackson did not identify the soldier who made the post or give details about what it said. But screenshots of a Facebook post by a man identifying himself as a soldier show him saying he would be “happy” to shoot looters and that “black lives don’t matter at all.”
Protests have been held across the country during the last week in response to the death of a black man, George Floyd, in Minneapolis on May 25 while in police custody. Floyd’s death, the latest in a series of deaths of black men in police custody, has sparked national outrage since a video showed a police officer kneeling on his neck before he died.
Protests have been held for three consecutive days in Columbia, where property was damaged, cars burned, and at least 55 people arrested. Law enforcement officers have used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up crowds and enforce emergency curfews.
The Army soldier is the third local person to be investigated, suspended or fired for racist social media comments in the past five days.
Friday, Lexington Medical Center fired an employee for a racist comment posted on Facebook.
The employee worked in a clerical position and made “a highly offensive and inappropriate remark” on social media Thursday, the hospital said in a news release.
Monday, a University of South Carolina student who made comments on social media over the weekend that were called “racist and hateful” by President Bob Caslen was dismissed from the school, the university said in a press release.
Additionally, all incoming USC students will now have to participate in anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, Caslen said.