HORN LAKE, Miss — Things got heated after a news conference held by the DeSoto County unit of the NAACP. It all stems from a comment made by a city worker on Facebook. A comment the organization says was inflammatory.
Tensions were high Friday at Horn Lake City Hall over a controversial Facebook post made by the city’s Director of Animal Services Pat Hissong.
Last month, Hissong shared a story from conservativepost.com about Black Lives Matter protesters.
She also added her own comment – it said, “Can we just kill them please and be done with this stupid (explicit)???
“There are people out there that will act on her words,” said Robert Tipton Jr., the NAACP president. “We want the mayor and aldermen to revisit their previous discipline to send a strong message. Because if they do not someone will act on this.”
Hissong was suspended for 5 days without pay. She’s since returned here to the animal shelter for work but the NAACP is pressuring for termination.
“We won’t accept anything less than termination,” said Tipton. “If this director really loves this county and this city she will voluntarily resign.”
The NAACP submitted the petition for the director’s removal on Tuesday and the mayor tells Local 24 News he and the board of aldermen are still considering what additional action to take.
“That was horrible,” said Horn Lake Mayor Allen Latimer about the post. “It doesn’t reflect the values of our citizens or our city government. In no way do any members of the board or anybody connected with the city or I condone it.”
A longtime friend of Director Hissong said when she saw the post it bothered her.
“If you know the person and you know they don’t have a racist bone in their body and you know that what they’re doing is phenomenal,” said Madison Strauss.
The NAACP is also calling on the public and business community to speak out against the post.
Hissong did not respond to Local 24’s repeated efforts to contact her.