SHERIFF HARRY YOUNG WILL NOT GET THE BLM VOTE, BUT HE WILL GET THE KKK VOTE

Georgia sheriff's Facebook call to 'get back to the tradition of hanging traitors' sparks outrage after activist reshares it weeks later during Floyd protests

 

By Ryan Fahey  

 

Daily Mail

June 12, 2020

 

A Georgia sheriff shared a meme calling to 'get back to the tradition of hanging' in early May, sparking outrage when an activist re-shared it weeks later amid the George Floyd protests.  

Sheriff Harry Young, who has held the position in Grady County, south Georgia for 16 years, shared a meme on his personal Facebook page in early May depicting prisoners waiting to be executed underneath a set of gallows.  

The text over the image reads: 'Can we get back to the tradition of hanging traitors?' 

Young's post was forgotten for a number of weeks before local community activist, Laura Register shared it a second time, shortly after the death of George Floyd, saying she was 'completely disgusted' at the comments. 

She also inferred that people of color were likely to receive unfair treatment under his jurisdiction. 

The sheriff responded, passing a comment on the looting that followed protests across the country at the start of the month. 

'If you like destroying hard working people's property because of one officer's horrible decision then you are the problem!!!' Young wrote.

On 4 June, despite backlash from Register and other residents, Young said he would not apologize for the post and that resignation was out of the question, the Times Enterprise reported.

 

'I'm not a coward,' he said. 'I'm not going to let some people who have no idea about anything in law enforcement or what you have to do in law enforcement sit there and make up rules that I need to do.'

He added that the negative responses on social media mostly came from people who hate President Donald Trump and other Republicans, adding that one of the users was someone who had a personal vendetta against him for being arrested numerous times, adding they 'have no respect for the law.'

Young said many residents had reached out to him to offer support. 

In an interview with the Times Enterprise, Register insisted that she didn't think Young should resign from his position. 

'He is our top law enforcement officer, and that's the only reason I shared it,' she said. 

Young, who said he was a former Democrat, said that he employs as many black officers as white and that promotions are consistent.