Clayton County, Ga.
The first black sheriff of Clayton County, Ga., promptly fired 27 employees last week. Most were white, and all had supported his opponent in the election. Sheriff Victor Hill posted snipers on the roof before the fired employees were escorted from the building, “just in case someone got emotional.” The area—the setting for Margaret Mitchell’s novel Gone With the Wind—was once nearly all white, but recently elected its first black county commission majority, after an influx of black professionals from nearby Atlanta. Leaders of the new government complained that the “blatant mass political firing” would make the community look “like we’re a bunch of goofballs.” A judge ordered Hill to rehire everybody, pending a hearing.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How military service works for K-pop idolsUnder The Radar All seven members of K-pop sensation BTS have now completed mandatory national service
-
The Week contest: Flight fraudPuzzles and Quizzes
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
