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A nurse for Kaiser Permanente has been fired after posting on Facebook that Stephon Clark deserved to be killed by Sacramento police.
Faith Linthicum started a firestorm on social media after suggesting that Clark, a black man who was gunned down by Sacramento police, got what was coming to him, reports the SacBee.
Linthicum wrote:
“Yeah but he was running from the police jumping over fences and breaking in peoples houses… why run??!!! He deserved it for being stupid.”
That insensitive comment didn’t sit well with activist Christina Arechiga who said she was disgusted by the woman’s tone-deaf comment.
Arechiga told the Sacremento Bee that she took it upon herself to scan Linthicum’s social media account to find out more about her. What she found was that Linthicum was a labor and delivery nurse for Kaiser Permanente’s Roseville Medical Center.
“People of color were unwittingly entrusting their infants to this woman,” Arechiga said, “and their insurance dollars were paying her salary.”
Arechiga then took screenshots of Linthicum’s comments and shared it on her page saying: “How can we trust our lives, the lives of our black and brown babies to these people? Nurses are supposed to help people not be happy when people die.”
Kaiser responded in a statement saying: “Kaiser Permanente does not tolerate hate or discrimination and has a long history of embracing diversity and inclusion – it remains a place where we welcome everyone. We want to emphasize that the comments expressed by this employee, who is no longer with the organization, do not in any way reflect Kaiser Permanente’s views or actions.”
Kaiser told The Sacramento Bee earlier this week that Linthicum was on administrative leave, pending investigation of the matter.
Linthicum is trying to fight back.
Arechiga told the Sac Bee that Linthicum messaged her via Instagram, saying that she would be contacting an attorney about a defamation lawsuit.
More than a hashtag
Stephon Clark was a 22-year old, father of two who was shot at 20 times and killed in his backyard on March 18 by two Sacramento police officers. First reports indicated that Clark fit the description of a suspect who was moving through the Gardens neighborhood vandalizing cars with a crowbar. Once confronted, the police reported they saw Clark with a gun and reacted in fear for their safety. When Clark failed to obey their commands, they responded with a shower of bullets. Body cam video has since exposed the truth that neither scenario happened. Instead, Clark was unarmed and only had an iPhone on him, which was found near his body.
As national outrage intensifies, the city of Sacramento is stuck some place in between overwhelming grief and incredible rage. Black Lives Matter, the NAACP and other civil rights groups are demanding justice.