In North Carolina, a sheriff who called his Black colleagues untrustworthy "Black bastards" and "snakes" has resigned for the second time in three months.
According to local newspaper The News & Observer, Jody Greene announced his resignation Wednesday just before a court hearing was set to begin to remove him from office.
His attorney, Michael Mills, stated that Greene chose to resign because the ongoing challenges to his right to serve had taken a financial and emotional toll.
“There comes a time in life that you have to choose happiness over something that you know will be nothing but a constant battle,” Greene said in a Facebook post on Thursday. “A lot of changes have been made under my administration and I hope that they will be an asset to the citizens of Columbus County and the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office. I am thankful for the last 4 years!”
The controversy surrounding Greene began last September when a local news outlet published audio from a call he made to the interim sheriff in February 2019 describing his racist tirade against Black deputies. During the audio, Greene accuses the deputies of siding with and leaking information to the county's Black incumbent candidate, former Sheriff Lewis Hatcher.
After this last-minute concession, Greene will be able to continue his campaign for reelection without any issues.
Like the vast majority of law enforcement, Jody Greene is attempting to evade all accountability for his wrongful actions. Why should he be allowed to avoid culpability for his racist behavior toward other law enforcement officers?
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Source: Vice News