Holly MatkinSan Antonio, TX – A San Antonio firefighter was suspended without pay for 90 days after launching into a vulgar anti-police tirade on Facebook.
San Antonio Fire Department (SAFD) Engineer Christopher Johnson’s indefinite suspension was shortened to 90 days after he recently met with SAFD Chief Charles Hood, KSAT reported.
His three months of unpaid leave began on Oct. 9.
Johnson, who is white, posted the lengthy anti-police missive to Facebook on Aug. 25, KSAT reported.
“From a place of disgust and shame, as someone who has only had positive interactions with the police – privilege – someone who [h]as family and friends that are cops, who works with cops, I say F–K THE POLICE,” he wrote. “F—K the departments, and administrations, training officers, unions, and individual cops who despite everything, all the scrutiny, all the calls for change, still shoot and murder Black men and women and/or protect those who do.”
Johnson also accused law enforcement officers of traumatizing and terrorizing peaceful protesters.
“F–K the police who have terrorized and traumatized and injured demonstrators and protesters that are speaking out against the same abuse and killings of Black men and women,” he ranted.
Johnson then sent out an “extra F–K YOU to firefighters that have turned a firehose on a crowd or people,” as well as “a F–K YOU to paramedics that have chemically sedated a person when a cop told them to.”
“We cannot sit around a fire station and hear racism, sexism, homophobia and hatred, and still have confidence that these same people will serve the public…when they preach and believe hate,” he declared.
“As yet more Black Americans are shot and killed by cops for reasons no white person suffers, I feel obligated to say again: F–k the Police.”
Johnson claimed he received messages both of support and of criticism as a result of his post, KSAT reported.
An internal investigation determined he violated SAFD rules regarding relationships with coworkers, conduct and behavior, inappropriate behavior, negative public image, and damaging the reputation of the department.
Johnson admitted to Chief Hood in a letter that he had “used language and terms that were inappropriate,” but said he was “angry at news of another case of police excessive force that seemed to be racially motivated,” KSAT reported.
The SAFD issued a statement shortly after Johnson posted his message to Facebook in August.
“Any type of post made to their personal social media accounts by our employees does not reflect that of the San Antonio Fire Department,” the agency told KENS at the time.
