SDG&E Worker Fired Over Alleged Racist Gesture Says He Was Cracking Knuckles - Even Mexicans can be white supremacists

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/sdge-worker-fired-over-alleged-racist-gesture-says-he-was-cracking-knuckles/2347414/

It all started about two weeks ago near a Black Lives Matter rally in Poway when Emmanuel Cafferty, a San Diego Gas and Electric employee, encountered a stranger on the roadway.

The stranger followed Cafferty and took a picture of him as his arm hung out the window of his company truck.

The picture made the rounds on Twitter accompanied by a claim Cafferty was making a "white power" hand gesture made popular by white supremacists groups.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the gesture -- made by forming a circle with the thumb and index finger, and extending and separating the other three fingers -- has been used in recent years by white supremacists to form the letters W and P, but has also long been used as a sign signifying "OK" or approval. Therefore it shouldn't be assumed to be a white supremacy symbol unless there is other evidence to support those claims, according to the ADL.

Cafferty claims he was just cracking his knuckles.

Soon after the encounter, a supervisor of Cafferty's told him he was suspended and that further action may be taken after an investigation. A few days later, he says he was fired.

Cafferty maintains he was unaware of the hand gesture until the whole controversy started.

"When my supervisor said that I was being accused of doing a white supremacist gesture, that was baffling," Cafferty told NBC 7 on Monday.

"I don’t know how long it's going to take me to get over this, but to lose your dream job for playing with your fingers, that’s a hard pill to swallow," Cafferty said.

A now-deleted photo posted on Twitter of Emmanuel Cafferty.
Cafferty is Mexican American and says he comes from a diverse family of all races. He says he's proud of SDG&E for taking any allegations of racism seriously, but he wants his job back.

SDG&E said in a statement: “We hold all SDG&E employees to a high standard and expect them to live up to our values every day. We conducted a good faith and thorough investigation that included gathering relevant information and multiple interviews, and took appropriate action.”

NBC 7 spoke to the man who originally posted the picture on Twitter. He has since deleted his account and said he may have gotten "spun up" about the interaction and misinterpreted it. He says he never intended for Cafferty to lose his job.

 

[Screw Danlon]

It’s not even the ok sign. It’s his thumb and middle finger. It actually looks like rock horns.

 

[keyboredsm4shthe2nd]

It’s not even the ok sign. It’s his thumb and middle finger. It actually looks like rock horns.

"Stop putting logic to our outrage against a "white" man!"

 

[Constellationzero]

Fucking goddamn these braindead sons of bitches. can't even let your hands drift without being accused of thoughtcrime. I'd love to be optimistic that they were planning on firing him and saw the opportunity.
Fuck the jackass who reported this shit, I hope a cat shits in your shoes.
eta: I hope this sparks an outrage and he gets reinstated, but God knows in current year that's not going to happen.

Not so fast.

I would strongly advise this guy that even if the employer asks, BEGS him to return. He should tell them to kick rocks.

He now has seen exactly what this employer will do in a New York minute. How would ANYONE not be scared of their life being ruined at this point? If I was in his place, I'd sue for throwing an employee under the bus like that.

 

[Freya]

Not so fast.

I would strongly advise this guy that even if the employer asks, BEGS him to return. He should tell them to kick rocks.

He now has seen exactly what this employer will do in a New York minute. How would ANYONE not be scared of their life being ruined at this point? If I was in his place, I'd sue for throwing an employee under the bus like that.

He'd have a good chance of winning a wrongful termination suit

 

[keyboredsm4shthe2nd]

Not so fast.

I would strongly advise this guy that even if the employer asks, BEGS him to return. He should tell them to kick rocks.

He now has seen exactly what this employer will do in a New York minute. How would ANYONE not be scared of their life being ruined at this point? If I was in his place, I'd sue for throwing an employee under the bus like that.

He'd have a good chance of winning a wrongful termination suit

Oh, you're both correct. Cause my kneejerk reaction is "I hope he gets his job back" but it's clear they don't value him.

 

[Shield Breaker]

Why is that good? He said himself he wants his company to look into incidents of "racism", meaning he wants this treatment, he just thinks he should be held to a different standard because he is brown.



That sounds like he wants to be punished for his racist microaggression to me.

And this all started with a shitpost on /pol/.

Amazing.


So... if it was anyone else you wouldn't care? I hope you stay jobless then.

Use your brains. He's now jobless, with at least one baby, and the economy is still screwed up by the shutdown. He's being polite to try and get the job back. Parents will do whatever it takes to provide for their kids, even swallow their pride. Besides, if he didn't say that, the twitter tards would hound whoever he works for next.

 

[Amber the Hedgehog]

Seriously, this is literally the only context I've ever actually seen that gesture used in. Hell one of my coworkers does it every day to damn near anyone at work. He's black....

I personally learned it from diving school. There is extremely simple divers sign language because all the diving gear or water prevents most other forms of communication. In diving making circles means ok and is kinda the most commonly used sign as that means message received or I'm fine. It's not just the finger circle but also making bigger circle if you are farther way. I guess that's now white supremacy too.

 

[Megaroad 2012]

Is there any info on the cockfag who originally posted this to twitter?