Texas school teacher to whites who disagree about Ferguson: “Kill yourselves”
Vinita Hegwood is an English teacher at Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas.
On Nov. 7, 2014, Hegwood posted this
racist obscene tweet at “crackers” (whites) who disagree with her about
the police shooting of 300-lb. Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri:
Who the fuck made you dumb duck ass
crackers [white people] think I give a squat fuck about your opinions
about my opinions RE: #Ferguson? Kill yourselves.’
Hegwood’s violent outburst prompted a wave of reaction from enraged Twitter users calling for her suspension.
Officials of the Duncanville Independent School District (ISD) acted swiftly.
Yesterday, after meeting with Hegwood,
school district officials suspended her without pay and confirmed her
contract will be terminated following a board meeting in the next four
weeks.
The school district explained in a
statement that “Hegwood expressed an opinion on social media that is
solely her own. While everyone has the right to free speech, as a
teacher in the district, we believe the comments that are alleged to be
made by Ms Hegwood are absolutely reprehensible and we do not condone
it.”
Her Twitter account is now closed.
Hegwood, who has worked for the
Duncanville ISD for two years, has been a prolific tweeter throughout
the turmoil in Missouri following the shooting on August 9.
It has been suggested her profane tweet was a reaction to abuse she received from followers,
Fox News
reported. But Lari Barager with the Duncanville ISD told CBS that
defense will not protect Hegwood from losing her job: “I can’t say it
emphatically enough. The nature of the comments are reprehensible, and
this district is about inclusion. It’s about diversity. It’s about
respect for all people.”
Hegwood’s venom actually predates
Ferguson, as evidenced by a tweet she had sent 9 months ago. Using a
different Twitter account, she bragged about playing her music “Fuck the
Police” loud as her car was tailed by the police.
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