An Ohio man posted a picture on social media, which went viral showing him kneeling on the neck of a white toddler who appeared to be crying. The caption read, “Blm now [expletive].”
Another man, Brian Papin, commented on the picture and appeared to give the man in the photograph advice on how to “get it right.”
“Again! Your [sic] doing it wrong! One knee on center of the back, one on the neck, and lean into it until death! You saw the video! Get it right or stop [expletive] around!” in an apparent reference to the technique used on George Floyd in May.
Papin has now been forced to resign over the comment. He was a special education teacher at Cedar Grove High School in Dekalb County, Georgia.
The Dekalb County School Board reported that it was investigating Papin’s comment after it was reported by outraged residents to both local news outlets and school administrators. Friday morning the school board announced that the teacher was no longer employed at the school.
DeKalb County School District (DCSD) administrators were made aware of the disturbing social media posts on July 22, 2020. The teacher is no longer employed with DCSD. Again, there is no place for racism or abuse in our school district.
— DeKalb Schools, GA (@DeKalbSchools) July 24, 2020
The man in photograph, identified as 20-year-old Isaiah Jackson, was arrested and as of Wednesday was booked into the Clark County jail on a probation violation.
The child’s mother was unaware of the photo having been taken until she was informed by other parties, police said.