List: Some of the most shocking resignations in the aftermath of George Floyd's death

Who has resigned in the wake of the George Floyd case, and why?

Published: June 10, 2020 4:23pm

Updated: June 11, 2020 8:55am

In the wake of protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, America has made it clear that it has no tolerance for racism, either in the board room or in our communities.

In the past two weeks, there's been a wildfire of resignations from community and business leaders ignited by the national conversation around race.

Some have resigned of their own accord to make way for new leadership. Others have been forced to step aside, after making controversial statements or who have had past actions scrutinized under a fast-changing set of standards.  Others still were simply trying to ensure viewpoints of all sides were being heard. 

Here's a list of who's out and why. 

New York Times Opinion Editor James Bennet: Bennet resigned June 7 after he signed off on an editorial to be published in the newspaper by GOP Sen.Tom Cotton.  Cotton wrote that the military should be sent in to quell the protests. NY Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger said the paper “concluded that James would not be able to lead the team through the next leg of change that is required.” Bennet declined to comment.

Crossfit CEO Greg Glassman: Glassman stepped down June 9 after posting several comments on Twitter, criticizing a statement from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation calling racism a public health issue by responding ‘Floyd-19. 

Glassman apologized, saying in his statement he "created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members."

Bon Appetit Editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport: Rapoport resigned June 8 after staff charged the food magazine of racial discrimination and after an old photo of him and his wife dressed up as Puerto Ricans for Halloween began circulating on social media.  The staff of Bon Appétit apologized for being complicit in a culture of racism.

Refinery29 Editor-in-Chief Christene Barberich: Barberich resigned June 8 after stating that “R29 has to change” and be more inclusive of people of color following complaints of racism at the popular lifestyle site. Barberich, one of the founders, said she “will be stepping aside in my role at R29 to help diversify our leadership in editorial.” 

Portland Police Chief Jami Resch: Resch resigned June 8 only six months into the job after black rights groups said the Portland police leadership lacked diversity. Resch says she will remain at the department with a different role.

WSU criminal justice professor Scott Senjo: The Weber State University professor resigned last week after posting multiple comments on Twitter that “promoted violence and caused safety concerns,” according to university staff. One comment was posted under a video of NYPD vehicles driving into protesters, saying, “That’s not how I would have driven the car into the crowd.” Senjo expressed regret and said the comments he made “reflect a great deal of ugliness.”

Lyons Fire Chief JJ Hoffman: Hoffman, who served as the Colorado town’s fire chief for 11 years stepped aside June 9 after posting a comment about anti-racial protesters. The comment stated, “ha ha if I was down there I definitely would open up our high pressure bumper turret and have some fun.” Hoffman claims the comment was taken out of context and used to smear him “without the rest of the story.”

Mayor of Temecula, Calif. James Stewart: The former mayor sent out an email that said “I don’t believe there’s ever been a good person of color killed by a police officer,” which was then widely circulated. Stewart later apologized, saying he is dyslexic and used voice text to send the email.

Mayor of Blackduck, MN Rudy Patch: The mayor of the small Minnesota town resigned June 2 after posting a meme that showed a bloody car, with the caption “I don’t know what you mean by protesters on the freeway. I came through no problem.” The mayor claims the meme was taken out of context and was meant to show the dangers of what could happen to protesters if they weren’t being safe. 

Woodbridge Township, N.J. police dispatcher Mark Repace: Repace resigned last week after making comments about a black protester holding a sign that says “At what age do I go from handsome to a threat?” Repace responded “17 give or take a year or two… LMFAO totally kidding.” He was immediately suspended when the comments circulated back to department officials.

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