DEARBORN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A former Dearborn employee is no longer working for the city after posting a racist comment under a post on the 7 Action News Facebook page. The employee admitted that he lied to Action News when he said his account was hacked.
The City of Dearborn released a statement Wednesday confirming that Bill Larion no longer worked for the City of Dearborn, adding: "Per protocol, the city will not be commenting further on internal personnel matters."
The city did not confirm if Larion resigned or was fired.
Larion, who worked part-time as a surveyor for the City of Dearborn, wrote under the post on the Action News Facebook page, "Cute picture. Should be on the cover of camels are us," in reference to a woman in a Burkini in Sports Illustrated.
He received a flurry of backlash. During an interview with 7 Action News on Monday, Larion said that his account was hacked and that he did not write the post.
“Did not come from me," Larion told Action News when we asked him about the comment.
However, on Wednesday, Larion admitted to 7 Action News Reporter Simon Shaykhet that he lied about the hack and did in fact write the comment.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations Michigan Chapter (CAIR-Michigan) responded to the comments saying, "references to camels is an oft-used dehumanizing racial slur used against persons of Arab ancestry and against Muslims and those who are perceived to be Arab."
MORE BACKGROUND: Dearborn employee admits to LYING, writing RACIST FB comment. Now, the Arab American CIVIL RIGHTS League is calling for action. As of 2:30 pm, the worker is STILL on the job. No suspension. @wxyzdetroit #6PM https://t.co/pDzu9avCH1
— Simon Shaykhet WXYZ (@simonshaykhet) May 8, 2019
Larion's Facebook page has since been deleted.
The City of Dearborn is taking this very seriously.
“The comment violates the city of Dearborn’s values and practices, as well as our expectations for employees," said Mayor John O'Reilly Jr. in a statement. "It violates the very heart of our mission statement, which is that we must earn the public’s trust in everything we do.”
See the city of Dearborn's full statement below:
"Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Jr. strongly condemns an offensive slur used in a comment on the WXYZ Facebook page and attributed to a part-time City of Dearborn employee, and directed multiple city departments to immediately investigate the source of the remark.
The results of the timely investigation, which the Dearborn Police Department began over the weekend, will determine what action is taken, Mayor O’Reilly said.
The comment was not posted during City of Dearborn business hours, but its content is in opposition to the City’s mission statement.
“I have zero tolerance for the type of language used in the Facebook comment,” Mayor O’Reilly said.
“The comment violates the City of Dearborn’s values and practices, as well as our expectations for employees. It violates the very heart of our mission statement, which is that we must earn the public’s trust in everything we do,” said Mayor O’Reilly.
The City of Dearborn provides employee training addressing discrimination, sexual harassment and cultural sensitivity.
The City requires that all employees treat people of all backgrounds with respect. That expectation carries over into employees’ behavior off hours, when, under certain situations, their actions can be considered a reflection on the City of Dearborn.
“We are extremely proud of our diversity and consider it a strength and an advantage. So we will continue to nurture it and to condemn words or actions that attempt to divide us,” said the Mayor.
The offensive comment being investigated was posted in reaction to a news story about a Muslim woman appearing in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition."
Following his departure from working with the City of Dearborn, Larion released a statement apologizing to his family and the community for his "horrible comment."
Read Larion's full statement below:
