An executive at a software firm in Tennessee has been terminated by the company for allegedly posting a meme of former President Barack Obama with a noose tied around his neck.
According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Gary Casper, identified as the vice president for information technology at Transcard, has taken down his social media accounts after receiving a wave of backlash for the meme. The tech company told the Free Press Sunday that it does not allow its employees to make political statements on social media.
WOW… Gary Casper, VP at TRANSCARD in CHATTANOOGA gets caught with images of OBAMA IN A NOOSE and immediately deletes his social media accounts… ????????????????
(H/t @notcapnamerica) pic.twitter.com/GPDtalEtFq
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) May 17, 2020
"As soon as Transcard realized that an employee was utilizing social media to engage in political speech, it took immediate action to terminate its relationship with such person," Transcard President Chris Fuller wrote in an email to the Free Press.
The third-party payment account software company was an initial sponsor of the Chattanooga Red Wolves — a founding member of the professional American soccer league USL League One. In 2018, the company expanded from 60 employees to nearly 100 and managed 1,800 clients, according to the Free Press.
The image Casper shared includes a picture of Obama in a noose with a caption that reads, “#PayPerView.” A threat against the life of a former president or a member of their immediate family is a crime and can result in a five-year prison sentence, the Free Press reported.
The company’s Facebook page later confirmed in a post that Casper is no longer employed with the company.
The screenshots that have been circulated on social media show Casper started working at the company in 2009. Before then, his accounts showed he worked at U.S. Xpress and studied at Dalton State College in Georgia.
