VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida corrections officer has been suspended for making racial slurs and remarks on her Facebook post over the summer, according to an internal affairs report.
Jes Smith was suspended for a single day without pay because of the post she made on her personal Facebook page, the report states.
The post included a meme Smith shared that reads, “(N-words) hate to work normal jobs but will go to jail and become a trustee,” according to the report.
Smith then commented: “and beg to work so they have something to do. Imagine that!”
One co-worker said she was "pissed off" by the post and another said she was surprised Smith used that language.
Another called her out in the comments, writing she "hates the word."
Smith replied, "I dislike today's meaning of the word, but the original meaning behind the description is accurate given our daily environment."
Smith's mother jumped into the comments to defend her daughter and wrote, "Just a post which had to do with the jail."
The co-worker responded, "Hmm does that mean just (N-words) go to jail?"
Smith's mom replied, "Wow, you really are troubled."
Smith deactivated her Facebook page.
Racial slur often used in workplace, corrections officer says
In the report, Smith said she was not offended by the post she made over the summer because, she said, the N-word is used all the time by staff and inmates.
The county said it could not verify that, and the staff denies it.
Smith began working for the county in 2016.
She said she would have taken the post down if someone told her they were offended in person.
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