The newly appointed “progressively responsible” town manager in North Carolina, who the police chief claimed fostered a “hostile work environment,” has prompted the resignation of the entire department.
In a Facebook post, Kenly Police Chief Josh Gibson revealed the startling news on Thursday. He claimed that the assistant town manager and a crucial clerk had also resigned in protest, in addition to him and his five police officers.
Along with him and his fellow coworkers on the force, Gibson claimed that the town manager’s assistant Sharon Evans and the utility clerk Christy Jones had also resigned.
Justine Jones Town Manager Photo
Following her termination, Justin Jones, a middle-aged Black woman, sued Richland County, South Carolina, alleging both gender and racial discrimination.
The press statement neglected to include Jones’ firing, a progressive black woman who had unsuccessfully sued her previous employer for racial and gender discrimination over eight years prior, according to WRAL.
Jones filed a South Carolina racial discrimination lawsuit against a former employer after being fired in March 2015. She claimed in court records that Richland County authorities treated her “hostilely” and underpaid her because she was black and disabled.
As a “whistleblower,” she further asserted that the county had unfairly penalized her since she had “revealed serious fraud, malfeasance, and violations of the law.”
According to court records, the complaint was voluntarily canceled in April 2017 without any justification. Before working for Kenly, she listed herself as the “Principal CEO” of her consulting company, Word of Mouth Realtime, according to her LinkedIn page.
She has worked for municipal governments in Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina, and now North Carolina for the past 16 years.
The bulk of the 2,400 residents in the little town of Kenly, which is roughly 45 miles from Raleigh, are black; they make up around 55% of the town’s population.
Jones refused to comment on the schism when contacted by a local publication because she was “not at liberty to talk because of a personnel situation,” which greatly shocked the close-knit residents of the village.
Entire Kenly NC Police Department Resigns
Only three part-time police officers are now reportedly left in the 2,000-person town of Kenly to oversee the dwindling force due to the departure. Gibson revealed the surprising news in a Facebook post.
According to WRAL, Gibson resigned in writing, making it official. Despite being the “longest standing leader” in the area, he claimed in his letter that he thought his army had recently “made great progress” in dealing with unspecified “ups and downs.”
The department’s particular grievances against Jones were not disclosed in either his letter or the article. However, the departing police chief told WRAL that Jones might consider staying if he were to be replaced.
Jones was also accused by the other two clerks, although they did not detail their complaints.
What Happened In Kenly North Carolina?
An entire North Carolina police have resigned.
Gibson declared on Facebook that he would be exiting the police and that he was unsure of his future intentions after resigning from his long-standing position in early August, a short while after filing the resignation letter.
Christy Thomas and Sharon Evans, the county clerks, were identified by Gibson after they both submitted letters of resignation stating that they could not handle the added responsibility Jones brings.
However, Gibson expressed his frustration with the department’s understaffing, saying it increased the stress on the officers and staff. Neither the clerks nor the five cops identified the level of tension or hostility they were discussing.
Austin Hills, Jason Tedder, G.W. Strong, and Darren K. Pate, along with the other officers, agreed with their superior’s comments and conveyed their displeasure with the culture Jones had created at work since she started in her job less than two months ago.