Aaron Hodges. (Photo Courtesy of Facebook)
Aaron Hodges, a 37 year old Black Mormon in Portland, Ore., was fired from his job for a comment he made on Facebook about the police.
The retail employee was engaged in a discussion about the use of excessive force by police, especially regarding the deaths of Michael Brown Jr., Eric Garner and Tamir Rice.
And, apparently, Hodges posted the following comment: “Instead of slamming the police … every time an unarmed black man is killed, you kill a decorated white officer, on his door step in front of his family.
Hodges’ comment traveled swiftly through the social media sphere, eventually reaching his employer, Nordstrom.
When notified about the comments, a manager from Nordstrom contacted Hodges to tell him people were calling consistently and that he had to remove references to his Nordstrom employment from his Facebook page.
The next day, a manager called the sales associate and told him to stay away from work for four days because there had been a death threat.
The following day, Hodges received the call that he had lost his job.
“What our former employee chose to post from his personal account does not in any way reflect our views as a company,” Nordstrom spokeswoman Tara Darrow told NBC affiliate KGW. “We do not tolerate violence, violent conversation or threats of any kind.”
Hodges reportedly is known for making controversial comments on his Facebook page, in an attempt to make a point to his friends.
“I’m a Black Mormon, so there’s no way I could be racist,” Hodges said according to KGW. “I’m just passionate about Black issues because nobody else seems to be.”