There is another story of an employee fired over her exercise of free speech in her private life. The speech itself is vile and upsetting. Erica Walker is a radical activist associated with the the New Black Panthers Party and extremist Eric Sheppard Jr. Sheppard is on the run after organizing a protest at Valdosta State University Campus in Georgia where he stomped on an American flag. A gun was found in his backpack and he is wanted by the police. Walker has staged her own protests in walking on the flag. However, after she was identified, her employer, 1380 WAOK The Voice of the Community, reportedly fired her. As we have previously discussed, there is a trend where private and public employees are being disciplined or terminated for their exercise of private speech. There is no indication that Walker associated her disgraceful action with 1380 WAOK The Voice of the Community.
Walker reportedly has a Facebook page filled with anti-White and racist statements. After a video of Walker stomping on the American flag was posted on social media. The video was picked up by many who denounced her for her accepting the “challenge” of Sheppard to stomp on the flag:
A reporter from the Ocala Post contacted her employer, 1380 WAOK The Voice of the Community, and asked if Walker would be disciplined for her actions. The organization later released a statement that “We appreciate your thoughts on this matter and taking the time to share them with us. Please note that Erica Walker is no longer with the station.”
Facebook also took down the images after it said that “We found that the material on Walker’s pages violated community standards, therefore we removed it.” That is a troubling decision based on the content of her views. The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the constitutional right to burn the American flag. Yet, Facebook took down images of someone exercising that right. Facebook later reinstated the account.
There is another even more disturbing site related to the “FukyoFlag” movement where activists desecrate the flag, including using the flag to wipe themselves. The photos are disgusting and infuriating. However, that does not alter the free speech question. This is protected speech. That does not mean that we cannot join in denouncing these people and their hateful, disrespectful messages. Yet, the solution to such bad speech is more speech, not sanctions like those we see on the rise in Europe.
The termination of people for their speech or associations outside of the workplace raised the “Little Brother” problem that we previously discussed. This is not government action under the first amendment but private actors terminating employees who may prove to be an embarrassment to their organization or customers or donors. With the advent of social media, however, employees are under far greater scrutiny, even those who do not actively seek notoriety. Where to draw a line is the difficult question in such cases. This organization (if it did in fact fire Walker) has a right to protect itself from scandals caused by employees. Yet, one can easily imagine a wide array of more modest political associations (even a simple affiliation with a party) or support for a cause could be cited as unacceptable.
What do you think?
Unless you are like Johnny Fever and don’t use your real name at the radio station, you are connected to the station. I see no reason why they should not fire her. And with cause.
“There is no indication that Walker associated her disgraceful action with 1380 WAOK The Voice of the Community.”
No, there isn’t but the public, the customers, and the advertisers would therefor the employer could have and should have fired her.
Being involved in a domestic violence act shouldn’t cause one to get fired UNLESS your employer depends on the public and its perception of you. NFL is forced to act differently when one of their employees is involved in a crime than UPS would have to act as the repercussions are different.
Shafar Nullifidian obviously is anti-Semitic or why post Israel hate and compare Benjamin Netanyahu to Hitler as you do on your Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/shafar.nullifidian/posts/553797761435492
And call women whores for showing their arms or belly buttons. . .
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=366244490190821&substory_index=0&id=100004158194143
And you call me mental? Hahahaha
Shafarnullifidian ~> blah blah blah! Why don’t you write something on the subject at hand, instead of insulting and demeaning others for their opinions. You’re as bad as the subject I spoke about. Lmao!
We stopped having free speech long ago.
Only the independently wealthy can speak their minds.
One is more likely to be fired for speaking against gay marriage than saying anti-American things
Preference falsification is the only safe approach.
Say nothing.
Of course, silence won’t be good enough for the LGBTQ and BLM crowds.
They’ll demand active support; the latter has already done so at one college.
As this all happened approximately a year ago, I was curious as to what Erica was up to today, where she might have found another job after her stint at the radio station.
Her linked in page seems to say that she is self employed – company name I’ll write it, a business catering to writing copy for advertising to writing resumes.
Googled “I’ll write it” to see the webpage for her company, and this is what came up:
http://www.illwriteit.com
Ironically, Erica failed to renew her domain name, it was purchased by a group whose purpose is to publicize a ” hall of shame” for those people that desecrate the US flag.
1380 WAOK The Voice of the Community spoke freely and said your fired. Next.
I’m okay with a private company firing an employee who engages in public conduct which harms the company’s image. Here, a radio station which bills itself as “the voice of the community” determined that this individual’s notoriety was damaging to its brand. The station is a business and should be able to protect the goodwill that it has developed over the years. I am more troubled by companies injecting themselves into political debates. It seems that a company’s role should be to provide a service or product and thereby make money for its shareholders. When you have major corporations boycotting states that pass religious freedom laws, or laws designed to keep men out of women’s restrooms, I think the company has exceeded its role as a public corporation.
The stomping routine is one thing. But the uttBay wiping with the flag is beyond Joanne Palin. It’s beyond Beyonce. People in America need to embrace toilet paper or at least paper towels. Flags are meant to be flown and not at half arse.
Here’s Erika stepping on flag in front of U.S. soldiers. A lot of hate, but Erica thinks it’s a joke. Lucky she wasn’t in Brussels, Belgium airport. Taking hate to a new level.
She is always free to start her own business and hire all idiots she wants. But that requires more than just throwing a tantrum.
I personally think that these people who dislike America so much that they are willing to desecrate the flag with such actions as this, should just move to another country, where they will not be so oppressed. Or maybe we should figure out a way to permanently deport them. They want to identify themselves as Africans? Fine – let’s ship them to Africa where they will be a lot happier.
Freedom of association includes freedom not to associate. First amendment freedom of speech protection places a restriction on government against violating free speech rights. It does not grant a right to force the NY Times to publish your articles or force private employers to employ people who embarrass their organizations.
Warspite I’m 99% sure termination would be the least of her worries.
I’m not much of “a flag is sacred” person but it is amazing that this individual seems so anti American when she relies American protections for both her livelihood and her activism. But then I doubt this is anymore than a look at me moment. Disturbing yes but unlikely to be very meaningful. But of course she’s a victim. So anything goes.
She exercised her free speech rights, fine. But her employer broke no laws in firing her. If she is proud of what she did she ought to wear her firing as a badge of honor,
If she was White and there was a similar video but it showed her on a racist rant decrying blacks and demanding their immediate transportation to west Africa would there be any issue about her being fired? That is protected speech also.
Lisa, you;re a home grown mentally, morally and culturally bankrupt! Your level of incompetency is such that you have no idea just how stupid you are. If mental acuity were dynamite you wouldn’t have enough to blow your nose.You’re a classic example of the Dunning Kruger Effect in operation
Did her employer violate any of her protected rights re. employment?
Is her employment covered by an “at will” provision or a so called morals clause?
If no to the first and yes to the second, then fired for “stupid” fits.
Her actions…she is free to so comport herself. The company (an employer) is free to disassociate.
I would like to know if Trump supporters filed a Class Action lawsuit against the RNC and asked a judge for an Injunction to stop the RNC from changing the rules is a viable suit?
Walker is a black female, who also supports the New Black Panthers Party. She said she despises America and white people, namely white police officers.
The fact that she works in a public service job with these beliefs and demonstrates it, is appalling.
She actively demonstrates with black lives matter, a home grown terrorist group and calling her demonstrative actions freedom of speech is a stretch.
However, would she give Donald Trump the same rights she wants to be able to enjoy? We all know the answer to that question.