Michigan Teen Fired For ‘Horrific’ Trayvon Martin Tweet

What you write on social media can have professional consequences, as one Michigan teen has learned after being fired for a “horrific” tweet he posted in reference to Trayvon Martin.

The 17-year-old was hired at a Biggby Coffee franchise in Livonia, Michigan, but was fired before she even began training thanks to an incredibly insensitive tweet he fired off about Trayvon Martin, the teenager shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Florida last year.

“I want to thank god… for that bullet that killed Trayvon Martin,” she wrote on Twitter. She was immediately terminated by the company.

The tweet was reportedly posted Saturday night last week, when a Florida jury found George Zimmerman “not guilty” on charges of second degree murder.

Angry customers then flooded Biggby Coffee’s page with messages condemning the company for hiring a “racist” and even threatening to boycott the shop. Bob Perry, the owner of the store in question, called his would-be employee’s tweet “horrific.”

“I did hire her, but… I had no knowledge of [her tweet] whatsoever,” he said.

The teen’s firing apparently placated many of Biggby’s critics. “I, for one, was happy that she didn’t get a chance to start. IMO, it shows character in Biggby as a business,” wrote one Twitter user.

The company’s Facebook page is also filled with messages of gratitude for the employee’s firing.

“So glad you fired that girl. Racism should not be tolerated in any form. I could just imagine how she would treat your customers of color. Kudos to Biggby Coffee,” wrote one user.

For editorial reasons, we will not reveal the name of the Biggby employee fired for her racist Trayvon Martin tweet. If you’re interested, there’s a slightly more in-depth piece at yourblackworld.

[Image via: Dwight Burdette]