Trayvon Martin A Thug? Cop Todd Snipes Loses Job Over FB Post, Files Lawsuit
When Trayvon Martin was publicly called a “thug” on Facebook by Volusia County police officer Todd Snipes, the cop was investigated for his actions and he lost his job. Now Snipes is fighting back, claiming his First Amendment and other constitutional rights were violated.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis are using the deaths of their sons to fight against Florida’s stand your ground law. These laws were also recently augmented to include a warning shot bill, which was created to address the situation in which a woman was sentenced to 20 years in prison for accidentally killing her abusive husband with a warning shot.
Todd Snipes was fired after Volusia county officials discovered text messages and Facebook posts that included his personal reaction to the death of Trayvon Martin:
“Another thug gone. Pull up your pants and act respectful. Bye bye thug r.i.p.”
The former beach officer claims the county managers illegally searched and seized personal property in addition to denying due process. Snipes’ attorney, Jason Harr, says the issue is about free speech, even if the Facebook post did insult Trayvon Martin by calling him a thug:
“It was privately posted, and in no way was it ever attributed to the county. Nor did it make reference to the fact that he was employed by the county. Really, that’s what it comes right down to.”
Snipes is also claimed to have made comments in a group discussion that involves “racist” jokes about Paula Deen. One of the messages also included a cartoon of Trayvon holding a bag of Skittles and the punchline read: “Those Skittles were to die for.”
Whether or not Trayvon Martin is a thug has been a controversial topic that still echoes within political circles. For example, some reporters claimed Trayvon was a “knockout game king” and that George Zimmerman was the “victim” in the shooting. During the trial, some focused on Trayvon Martin’s drugs and guns photos found in his cell phone records and how a whistleblower named Ben Kruidbos revealed these phone records only to lose his job. Others pointed out how Trayvon Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, became rich due to merchandising and million dollar lawsuits while George Zimmerman went heavily into debt. Zimmerman himself as been using his paintings to blast Florida prosecutor Angela Corey, who allegedly hates the free press and tried to hold back the negative information about Trayvon.
Do you think it was fair for Volusia county to fire Todd Snipes because he called Trayvon Martin a thug in a personal Facebook post? Or do you think the photo featured above is closer to the mark when it comes to assessing the police officer’s actions?
