Gary Casper, an executive with Tennessee-based company Transcard, has been fired after posting a meme showing former President Barack Obama with a noose around his neck.
On May 17, Transcard said in a statement on their Facebook page that the employee who made the post had been fired. The press release read:
The views reflected in posts made by individuals do not reflect the views or values of Transcard. This issue is being handled according to company policy. The individual of recent concern is no longer employed with the company.
Thank you for your concern.
Transcard is a technology information company based in Chattanooga. The company’s president, Chris Fuller, told The Chattanooga Times Free Press, “As soon as Transcard realized that an employee was utilizing social media to engage in political speech, it took immediate action to terminate its relationship with such person.”
Threatening the Life of a Former President Can Result in a 5-Year Prison Sentence
WOW… Gary Casper, VP at TRANSCARD in CHATTANOOGA gets caught with images of OBAMA IN A NOOSE and immediately deletes his social media accounts… 👇🏽🚨🚨
(H/t @notcapnamerica)
The meme showed Obama with a noose around his neck. The caption on the picture says, “Pay Per View.” U.S. law states that threatening the life of a former president or the former president’s immediate family is a crime and can result in a 5-year prison sentence.
Casper Was the Vice President of Information Technology at Transcard
At the time of writing, Casper’s Facebook page had been removed. Screenshots from Casper’s profile that have been shared on Twitter show Casper referred to himself as the vice president of information technology at Transcard. Casper began working at the company in 2009. Casper says on that profile that he previously worked at U.S. Xpress. Casper says that he studied at Dalton State College in Dalton, Georgia.
According to Transcard’s official website, the company’s goal “is to bring you the latest in payment innovation as we continually interact with financial institutions, technology partners, industry thought leaders, networks and other payment facilitators.”
Obama Is a Familiar Target of Racist Memes
In January 2020, a Republican official based in Colorado was fired from his job after posting a doctored photo showing President Donald Trump putting a noose around Obama’s neck.
According to the book Still Life With Rhetoric, anti-Obama memes have been circulating on message boards since 2008. Writer Laurie Gries said that some of the first memes were doctored photos of Obama’s famous “Hope” poster from the 2008 presidential election that appeared on a white supremacist web forum.
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