The director of a taxpayer-funded museum in Texas resigned Friday over a hateful Facebook post about Republicans that she’d impetuously uploaded on Super Tuesday.
“I hope every single one of you pieces of s**t that votes republican, dies today,” the since-deleted post from former director Melonnie Hicks had reportedly read.
So sad that #MelonnieHicks, your employee posted a hate filled post wishing all Republicans to die. I won’t be visiting your museum because of her. What a shame for the state of Texas. What a bigger shame for Sweet Water & the Museum. Time for #Melonnie to go. pic.twitter.com/Gqo8MTPeaQ
— Texas Trump Girl (@be_the_lite) March 6, 2020
As the post went viral, so did the outrage against her employer, the Pioneer City County Museum in Sweetwater.
Look (*Language warning):
Pioneer museum in Sweetwater TX Melonnie Hicks, overseer of this museum, did you really post this hate speech against your fellow Americans attempting to abuse the right to vote? Childishness is one thing, you are a hater! pic.twitter.com/Cqu38lZDx1
— Mary G. Nolan (@mghdi1120) March 5, 2020
@PioneerMuseum67 You are surely aware that a business or organization’s emplyees are the public face of that organization, right? @MelonnieHicks is YOUR face. Like it or not, SHE is what people will now think of when they think of YOU. She should be fired immediately.
— CarGuy (@CarGuy69635071) March 5, 2020
@PioneerMuseum67 Melonnie Hicks needs to be fired for her comment about how she hopes all “pieces of shit who vote repulbican, dies today.” This is very wrong and a bad representation for your museum!
— Mickie (@sailingmickie) March 5, 2020
@PioneerMuseum67 if you have the slightest care or concern about the reputation of your organization you will dismiss melonnie hicks immediately!
— Bill Richardson (@wericha55) March 5, 2020
@PioneerMuseum67 Your employee , Melonnie Hicks posted on FB the following. “ I hope every single one of you Pieces if shit that votes Republican dies today “ She has since removed it but you should take action ! This is unacceptable. Not a great representation of the Museum
— wineanytime (@Donna14121945) March 5, 2020
LOOK WHAT YOUR MANAGER OF THE PIONEER MUSEUM SAID. Should a person of this lack of distinction be the manager of your museum?
Melonnie Hicks on facebook
“I hope every one of you pieces of shit that votes republican, dies today.”— [email protected] (@Chaplainjbmsnc1) March 6, 2020
@MelonnieHicks represents @PioneerMuseum67 – our tax dollars are being spent on hate speech and violence. Melonnie Hicks MUST be FIRED!!! pic.twitter.com/HEwxIZrxM9
— Carol (@CarolSurianofam) March 6, 2020
As the backlash grew, Hicks reportedly tried to backtrack by deleting her original post and uploading a new one explaining the reasoning behind her impetuous post.
“I was really mad at Republicans for voting against health care since my options today are die or go into debt to see the doctor. It was gross which is [why] I deleted it,” she wrote.
In response to the controversy, the Pioneer City County Museum Board of Directors scheduled an emergency meeting for Friday.
Meanwhile, City Manager David Vela issued a public statement to the media calling for the board to “make the right and responsible choice.”
“It’s regrettable and reprehensible, especially from someone who is a community leader,” he said of Hick’s post. “Those kind of comments should never be made on social media or anywhere else. We hope they make the right and responsible choice.”
“[The board] may have a different definition of right and responsible. Let’s just see what actions they take and we’ll go from there.”
Ultimately, the board chose to allow Hicks to voluntarily resign.
“The Pioneer County-City Museum announced today that Melonnie Hicks has submitted her resignation as Executive Director of the Museum effective as of 5:00 p.m., March 6, 2020. Board President Matt Counts has accepted the resignation subject to approval of the full Board of Directors,” the board announced via Facebook.
Look:
Posted by Pioneer City County Museum on Friday, March 6, 2020
“The Board firmly believes that the Museum exists to tell the story of all people in Nolan County, regardless of identity or political belief,” Counts said. “While we do not condone in any way the statements made by Ms. Hicks, we do recognize and thank her for her many years of excellent service to this Museum and to this community.”
This too stirred controversy, as some felt that she deserved to be outright fired. Others were annoyed by the museum thanking Hicks for her service.
Look:
Sorry but your pathetic announcement regarding #MelonnieHicks was not nearly strong enough. You should have vehemently condemned her posts. You did not. Instead you thanked her for her service. Shameful.
— Daisy Hutch (@daisyhutch138) March 7, 2020
@PioneerMuseum67 You let Melonnie Hicks resign? You should have fired her ass and announced it to the whole world. You chickenshits! #Sweetwater #PioneerMuseum #MelonnieHicks
— #TalkToMe. (@challenge_bag) March 6, 2020
Not good enough @PioneerMuseum67 !
You should not have thanked her for her service. By doing so, you are condoning her despicable action.@PioneerMuseum67 you are just as despicable. https://t.co/vh4QANfNjc— Cyn Sib (@Cynsib48) March 7, 2020
However, there has been one Republican voice calling for forgiveness instead.
San Angelo LIVE! publisher Joe Hyde, a self-identified Republican, penned a piece for his paper Friday arguing that the last thing his fellow Republicans need to do is follow leftists down the ruthless rabbit hole of cancel culture.
“I’m a Republican and I don’t in the least bit feel threatened by Hick’s off-the-cuff comment on Facebook wishing that I die. … The easiest emotion to incite is anger, and Facebook’s algorithm is quite good at turning calm and peaceful people into raging lunatics. Hicks was spending too much time on Facebook and wrote something she regretted. She later explained her frustration and apologized,” he wrote.
“Today’s ‘Cancel Culture’ means good people are given just one strike and they are out. Public figures are shamed for Twitter posts made when they were in high school. If you gain recognition or get promoted, someone somewhere is going to ‘research’ your old Tweets and, if public, your Facebook posts, too. Meanwhile, everyone is a victim today, even, as reaction to Hick’s post presents, Republicans are victims.”
He concluded, “Give Miss Hicks a break. She is a valuable contributor to the preservation of history in Nolan County. One strike doesn’t mean you’re out.”
Agree or disagree?
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.
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