A Michigan's sheriff's deputy has been fired after sharing a photo depicting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as a watermelo...
A Michigan's sheriff's deputy has been fired after sharing a photo depicting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as a watermelon jack-o-lantern for Halloween.
Sherry Prose, a part-time deputy for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, was terminated last month after officials became aware of her 'disgusting' Facebook post, WXYZ reported.
Prose, who had worked for the agency for over 25 years, had uploaded pictures of Halloween carvings representing Harris, President Trump, Mike Pence and Joe Biden.
Sherry Prose, a part-time deputy for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office was fired over an offensive Facebook post depicting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as a watermelon jack-o-lantern
Trump, Pence and Biden were pictured as carved pumpkins in one photo, while Harris was shown as a watermelon carving in another.
'Trump, Biden, Pence and Kamala. Happy Halloween,' Prose wrote.
The post was viewed as offensive due to watermelons being used in racist tropes among black Americans.
Watermelons have long been used as a racist trope among black Americans since the Civil War
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office confirmed Prose had been 'immediately terminated' after the department became aware of the photos.
'We are outraged by this former employee's actions and condemn the behavior she chose to engage in,' Undersheriff Michael McGabe said in a statement.
'These types of incidents are disgusting and will never be tolerated or pushed aside at the sheriff's office. Behavior such as this brings tarnish to the badge and is not representative [of] all those in law enforcement who protect and serve.'
Reverend Dr Wendell Anthony, the president of Detroit's NAACP chapter, also weighed in in a statement calling the post racist.
'It grows out of [the] past and a recognition that often is linked to buffoonery and to less than,' Dr Anthony said.
'Yes, I believe that the intent was purposely structured to diminish and to dilute the significance of the first African American…. as vice president of these United States. To some people ignorance is bliss.'
Prose later removed the post before deleting her Facebook account completely.
She responded to the controversy in a statement to the news station saying: 'I worked hard in my law enforcement career and I am proud of the reputation I earned in my 30 plus years of service. I'm not a racist and never will be.'
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