MERIDIAN TWP, Mich. — Following the completion of an internal investigation, Meridian Township has announced a member of the township fire department has been fired.
The township said the investigation was launched June 23 after allegations surfaced that Dennis Schrier was making racial comments on social media.
Meridian Township Manager Frank Walsh released the following statement regarding the completion of the internal investigation:
“On behalf of Meridian Township, I want to publicly apologize to the Black community, to the Black Lives Matter organization and movement and our entire community for the June 22, 2020 social media posting by Meridian Township Fire Lieutenant Dennis Schrier.
“Over the past two weeks, our Human Resources Department has conducted a comprehensive investigation regarding the social media posts. I was presented a copy of the report on Monday, July 6th. The report clearly outlines serious violations of the standards of our Fire Department and this Township and that the posts reflect racial bias. The statement “Black Lives Don’t Matter” is malicious, obscene and threatening. In no way do the comments embody the fabric of Meridian Township. Further, his statements greatly impair the operation and efficiency of our Fire Department.
“Based on the findings of the thorough investigation, Dennis Schrier has been terminated from his employment with the Meridian Township Fire Department. I want to thank everyone who came forward with additional information over the past two weeks.
In the end, we did the right thing and I’m proud to say Black Lives Do Matter.”
The alleged incident came to light June 22 when a woman who lives in Virginia reached out to the fire department after reading comments made on Facebook.
The township said the comments were “abhorrent” and do not represent the views of the community.
Schrier was not scheduled to work while the investigation was underway.
The full report can be viewed here.
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