Gainesville City officials are in the process of reviewing a reported social media post described as "inappropriate, distasteful and baseless" and attributed to a Gainesville firefighter.
Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey issued a statement on Sunday, May 31, saying the comment was brought to the city's attention Sunday morning. He said the person who made the post was identified as a member of the Gainesville Fire Department and the post was in reference to the citizenship status of some of the demonstrators who had gathered to protest the killing of George Floyd of Minneapolis.
"We want the public to know the comment(s) of this one individual do not, in any way, shape or form, reflect the views or position of the Gainesville Fire Department, nor city of Gainesville government," Lackey wrote. "The city prides itself on being a melting pot, and has zero tolerance for comments such as these."
Lackey said the social media post had been deleted.
Lackey declined further comment, saying it was a personnel issue that was being addressed with the employee.
