Location of Kenly in North Carolina compared to Raleigh, the capital of the State. Fox29.
On practically the same day, the entire Kenly police department resigned and submitted their two weeks’ notice. This occurred less than 2 months after Justine Jones, a black woman, was hired as town manager. Beyond Satire will tell you everything you need to know about this entire police department resignation.
Entire Kenly, NC Police Department resigns
The entire Kenly, NC police department resigned on July 20th and July 19th 2022, following a black woman, Justine Jones, being hired as town manager. Josh Gibson, the former police chief, indicated that in total, five officers, the town clerk and the utility clerk all resigned, himself included.
Source: abc11
In a now privated Facebook post, he gave his own reason for his resignation:
“I have put in my 2 weeks notice along with the whole police dept. […] The new town manager has created an environment I do not feel we can perform our duties and services to the community…”
Kenly Police Department resignation letters
In a letter to Justine Jones, Josh Gibson also wrote the following:
“In my 21 years at the Kenly Police Department, we have seen ups and downs. But, especially in the last 3 years, we have made substantial progress that we had hoped to continue. However, due to the hostile work environment now present in the Town of Kenly, I do not believe progress is possible.”
All seven other people that resigned submitted their resignation letter either on July 20th or July 19th. This means that their last day was either on the 2nd or 3rd of August.
Mr. Gibson did not give details about the “hostility” of the work environment. In fact, neither the Facebook post, his letter nor the other letters give much clarification on the subject. Some indicate that recent ‘decisions’ (likely a reference to the town manager’s hiring) ‘jeopardize their safety‘ (like in G. W. Strong’s letter, linked above).
Additionally, all the letters either mention a hostile work environment, a stressful one, or both. Almost all indicate that the recent decision ‘worries‘ them about the ‘future‘ of the town or police department.
Why did the Kenly police department resign?
Many believe that the resignation of the entire Kenly police department was due to the new hire being a black woman. However, the previous town manager was a black man. In fact, last year, he was named in a civil lawsuit by a woman who claims he grabbed her breast and tried to have sex with her.
The woman even claims that, when she tried to file a report with the Kenly Police Department, the police chief (Josh Gibson, at the time) told her that she should ‘move on‘. It’s safe to say that the police department and the previous black town manager did not seem to be on bad terms.
The new town manager, however, previously accused Richland County leaders of “hostile” treatment. Additionally, she also accused them of not paying her fairly because she was black and had a disability. She accused them of discriminating against her as well because of her being a “whistleblower” who “reported serious fraud, wrongdoing, and violations of the law.”
Then, the ‘hostile work environment’ cited by the police department seems to stem from the fact that this new town manager would hold them accountable at a higher degree than the previous town manager.
