New York State Correction Officer Gregory C. Foster II is suspended without pay after posting a meme on social media about the racially motivated Buffalo massacre that occurred on Saturday (May 14).
The Attica Correctional Facility guard is also facing termination because of the Facebook post. The meme reads, “Clean up on aisle 3, no wait 4.” It continued, “Also on 7, 9, 12 and 13.” Foster captioned the photo, “Too soon? This should weed out some FB friends,” along with a laughing emoji.
The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision released a statement saying, “This vile posting does not represent the morals and values of the thousands of staff members in the Department.”
Officials added, “The department has engaged the Civil Rights Task Force, which we are members of, for potential criminal prosecution. The department has also launched an internal investigation to identify and discipline any staff who may have engaged with the posting.”
Foster was hired by the department in 1997 and has had his nearly $81,000 salary paused as a result of his actions.
President of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association Michael Powers said, “We were recently made aware of an incident on social media involving a small handful of members who shared obscene jokes related [to] this weekend’s horrific shooting in Buffalo.” He continued, “Simply put, hateful rhetoric has no place in our organization. We proudly stand with the Buffalo community, law enforcement entities who responded to this tragedy, and all those affected by this senseless act of violence.”
As previously reported by REVOLT, accused gunman Payton Gendron allegedly live-streamed a planned, racist attack that claimed the lives of 10 Black people at a Tops Friendly Markets grocery store in Buffalo on Saturday (May 14).
Gendron has since pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
The suspect is due to appear in court again today (May 19) for a felony hearing.
Hey guys, meet Greg. He’s a comedian. I'm told he's a correctional officer at Attica Correctional Facility, I think today should be his last day.
Jess Yelin is his girlfriend.I'm from Buffalo, NY and a couple of my friends lost loved ones in this hate filled mass shooting. pic.twitter.com/Sdab9sO07u
— ALMIGHTY FLYY🚀⚡️ (@AlmightyFlyyFNO) May 17, 2022
This is Greg Foster. Greg is a corrections officer at Attica Correctional facility
Greg and his buddies thought this was just a hilarious post. Help us show Greg how funny it is when he loses his job.
Forward this to Attica correctional facility as I have. #Buffalo #attica pic.twitter.com/RnxsOKz5Ke
— Jeff Thomas (@TheRealPGHJuice) May 17, 2022