Jody Greene, the now former sheriff of rural Columbus County, North Carolina officially resigned after he was recorded calling Black deputies who worked under him "Black b*stards" and threatening to fire them.
The North Carolina Black Alliance noted Greene resigned during a hearing before he could be formally removed by a judge.
Greene can be heard saying the following according to an official court filing from the Columbus County District Attorney’s office that contains evidence of recorded conversations:
“Tomorrow’s gonna be a new f**king day. I’m still the motherf**king sheriff...F**k them Black b*stards, they think I’m scared?"
"They’re stupid. I don’t know what else to do with it. So it’s time to clean them out."
“I ain’t gonna have it. I’m gonna cut the snake’s f**king head off. Period."
Greene—whose remarks were recorded shortly after he took office in 2019—later calls then-Sergeant Melvin Campbell, a Black man, "as big a snake" as former Columbus County Sheriff Lewis Hatcher, Greene's predecessor.
The petition from the Columbus County District Attorney’s office notes that Greene targeted specific Black deputies and sergeants in the office. Indeed, shortly after being fired in 2019, Campbell obtained legal representation to seek back pay from the county.
Greene's statements have been harshly condemned by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which called them "divisive" and horrifying."
The organization issued a formal call for Greene to resign late last month, saying that his "actions have cast a cloud over his ability to execute the office with impartiality" and that a "thorough investigation" would be necessary in order to "restore dignity and confidence in the office of the Columbus County Sheriff."
The news of Greene's resignation soon went viral and prompted more criticism online.
Republicans do love their racists.
— Jennifer (@jhowellchrist) October 25, 2022
He will just move to Florida and be welcome
— Goldstein (@Goldstein79) October 26, 2022
Despite resigning, Greene has made clear that he still intends to run as a candidate for Sheriff in next month's election. He remains on the ballot.
The District Attorney’s Office says they would "have an ethical obligation to file, and will file, a new Petition to Remove Greene from that term of office based on the allegations alleged in the current Petition to Remove" should he win.
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