Jack Peterson, a part-time conductor with Tennessee’s famed Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, found himself at the center of controversy after his Fourth of July greeting to passengers went viral.
“To the very few Americans in here, Happy Independence Day. To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave,” a TikTok video captures him saying.
While Peterson sees his remark as “patriotic,” a tourist traveling with him viewed it as exclusionary and reported him to the concerned authorities.
This led to major disciplinary action against Peterson, leaving him questioning what it means for America as a whole.
“What has this country come down to?” he asked.
The railway conductor who went viral over an Independence Day message has suffered a career-ending blow
Image credits: Lookout Mountain Incline Railway/Facebook
The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) oversees the operations of the Tennessee Incline Railway.
The agency, in a statement released on Monday, confirmed that Jack Peterson was fired after Florida-based father-and-son duo Charles and Nathan Schafer submitted a video of his Independence Day message with the hashtags “racism” and “xenophobia.”
Image credits: natescherer/TikTok
Charles, in his conversation with WTVC, said the message “really” upset him, adding that he kept thinking, “The company needs to know about this because he was the only one representing the company, and I just had a feeling that they don’t know that he is saying this.”
Scott Wilson, CARTA’s chief of staff, confirmed to Fox News Digital that they were unaware of Peterson’s actions.
@natescherer Had an interesting train operator on The Incline in TN today #lookoutmountain #racism #xenophobia #theincline #tennessee ♬ original sound – Nathan Scherer
“The role of the conductor on Chattanooga’s iconic Incline Railway is to welcome visitors from around the world to our Scenic City, get them safely [to their destination], and play an audio recording about the railway’s history,” he said.
“Instead of following the protocol — and common decency — this new seasonal employee used the microphone to make assumptions about the citizenship status of our visitors and their disposition towards our country.”
He acknowledged that “rudeness” towards guests is the exact opposite of what the company stands for.
While Wilson said he agreed that America was “the greatest country on the face of the planet,” he emphasized that Peterson, as a company representative, should not have made a political statement, adding that this was the reason for his dismissal.
CARTA apologized to passengers who witnessed the remarks
Image credits: Local 3 News
In his interview with WTVC, Charles Schafer said Peterson’s remarks were particularly troubling because his granddaughter was on the ride, explaining that it was not the idea he wanted her to pick.
Another passenger who disagreed with the conductor was heard yelling, “Shut up,” in a viral video.
Image credits: Local 3 News
“I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this and to everyone who has seen the video and felt the sting. It should never have happened,” Wilson said while commenting on the matter.
“We have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us.”
He added that “every passenger who boards” their railway deserves to feel “respected and welcome,” before noting that, to ensure this is “always the case,” they have decided to bar Peterson from working for them in the future.
“He will not work for CARTA or the Incline Railway again,” Wilson said.
Jack Peterson called his firing unjust and was met with an outpouring of support online
Image credits: Local 3 News
Peterson spoke with News 9 ABC about his dismissal, saying he was punished for merely celebrating the USA’s Independence Day with his “fellow Americans, native or non-native.”
“I truly believe we are the greatest country on earth. My statement about if you don’t like the country and don’t believe we are the best, then you can leave, was about the freedom of the USA that many other countries do not have,” he said.
“It’s not a racist or xenophobic thing to say.”
Image credits: Local 3 News
In an interview with Fox News Digital, meanwhile, Peterson argued that “CARTA as a company has a lot of thinking to do when it comes to supporting this country.”
“I do not feel my firing was correct or just. My personal thought is, what has this country come down to when someone can get fired on Independence Day for a patriotic statement?” he said.
Image credits: Local 3 News
Some netizens agreed with him, with one noting, “He should have been promoted instead,” and another asking for Charles and Nathan, as well as the CARTA head, to be “arrested and charged with treason.”
On Monday, Peterson started a GoFundMe in response to the support he has received since the incident made headlines.
His fundraiser, as of this writing, has secured $6.2K of its $8K goal
“He is going to have plenty of job offers,” a netizen said
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