Federal court dismisses suit by Alabama police officer fired after 蜜桃传媒 exposed ties to white supremacist group
A federal court has upheld the firing of an Alabama police officer who was let go after the 蜜桃传媒 exposed his ties to a white supremacist group.
Josh Doggrell, a former police lieutenant in the city of Anniston, lost his job after the 蜜桃传媒 revealed in 2015 that he had addressed the annual gathering of the League of the South in 2013. He sued the city in 2016, claiming the firing violated his rights under the First Amendment and the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment.
U.S. District Judge Virginia Emerson Hopkins dismissed the case in a Sept. 29 ruling.
Hopkins wrote that the city fired Doggrell primarily because of 鈥渃ommunity uproar鈥� sparked by the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 revelation of his speech, which 鈥渋mplicated the APD [Anniston Police Department] as a law enforcement agency with a sympathetic, if not supportive view of the League of the South鈥檚 controversial mission and purpose.鈥�
Another reason for the firing, the judge wrote, was that Doggrell violated the police department鈥檚 anti-harassment policy by displaying a 鈥渘ot equal鈥� sign 鈥� white with a black background 鈥� on his Facebook page.
The League of the South is a neo-Confederate group that advocates a second secession and a nation dominated by white people. Doggrell had been a member since he joined as a student at the University of Alabama in 1995, and he started a chapter in Calhoun County in 2009.
In the 2013 speech, Doggrell told members of the League that police officers are 鈥渏ust as susceptible to being swayed to our side and our views as any other southerner, and I would say even more so,鈥� and 鈥淸officers] are the kind of people 鈥� that can be counted on to be a warrior in the battles to come.鈥� He also relayed a conversation in which he claimed the city鈥檚 former police chief told him that 鈥渨e pretty much think like you do.鈥�
After the 蜜桃传媒 brought the speech to light, the city manager placed Doggrell and another officer who attended the 2013 gathering on administrative leave and initiated an internal investigation, according to the ruling. He announced his decision to fire Doggrell two days later.
The controversy also served as a 鈥渃atalyst鈥� for the United States Attorney鈥檚 Office in the Northern District of Alabama to become involved in the Anniston Police Department鈥檚 affairs and operations, according to the ruling.
