Photo of Justine Jones as town manager in Kenly, North Carolina, showing the resignation of the entire police force

The whole department resigned as a result of the recently appointed “progressively responsible” town manager in North Carolina, who the police chief claimed created a “hostile work environment.”

Josh Gibson, the chief of the Kenly Police Department, shared the shocking information on Facebook on Thursday. Along with him and his five police officers, he asserted that the assistant town manager and a significant clerk had also resigned in disapproval.

Gibson alleged that in addition to him and his fellow police officers, the utilities clerk Christy Jones and the assistant to the town manager Sharon Evans had also resigned.

Town manager Justine Jones Photograph

Middle-aged Black woman Justin Jones filed a lawsuit against Richland County, South Carolina, after being fired, citing both gender and racial discrimination.

According to WRAL, the press release omitted to include Jones’ termination. Jones was a progressive black woman who had filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against her previous employer for racial and gender discrimination more than eight years earlier.

After being let go in March 2015, Jones sued a former employer in South Carolina for racial discrimination. In court documents, she alleged that Richland County officials treated her “hostilely” and underpaid her because she was disabled and black.

She went on to claim that because she had “exposed major fraud, misconduct, and violations of the law,” the county had unfairly punished her.

Following the news of the town’s police chief’s resignation this week, 4 policemen and 2 clerks resigned in #Kenly tonight. They all mention problems with Justine Jones, the new town manager.

Many locals are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the Town Council’s recent secret session.

The complaint was voluntarily dropped in April 2017 without any explanation, according to court documents. According to her LinkedIn page, she previously identified herself as the “Principal CEO” of her consulting business, Word of Mouth Realtime.

She has spent the last 16 years working for local governments in Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina, and now North Carolina.

In the small town of Kenly, which is about 45 miles from Raleigh, the majority of its 2,400 inhabitants—or around 55 percent—are black.

The close-knit residents of the town were profoundly astonished when Jones declined to speak on the schism when contacted by a local publication, claiming that she was “not at liberty to respond because of a personnel matter.”

Kenly NC Police Department’s whole force resigns

In the 2,000-person village of Kenly, there are now only three part-time police officers left to manage the shrinking force as a result of the departure. Gibson posted the unexpected information on Facebook.

Gibson officially announced his resignation in writing, according to WRAL. He stated in his letter that despite being the “longest standing leader” in the region, his army had recently “made significant progress” in handling unspecified “ups and downs.”

Both his letter and the article omitted any information about the specific complaints the department had against Jones. Jones might think about staying, the departing police chief told WRAL, if he were to be replaced.

The other two clerks also made accusations against Jones, though they did not go into specifics.

What took place in North Carolina’s Kenly?

A complete police force in North Carolina has quit.

Gibson resigned from his long-standing job in early August, shortly after filing the resignation letter, and stated on Facebook that he would be leaving the police and that he was unsure of his future intentions.

The county clerks, Christy Thomas and Sharon Evans, were named by Gibson after they each submitted letters of resignation claiming they were unable to handle the additional responsibilities Jones brings.

Gibson, however, expressed his displeasure with the understaffing of the department, claiming that it raised the burden on the officers and staff. The five officers and the clerks failed to specify the intensity of the antagonism they were referring to.

Along with the other officers, Austin Hills, Jason Tedder, G.W. Strong, and Darren K. Pate expressed their agreement with their superior’s remarks and their discontent with the culture Jones had established at work since she began in her position less than two months ago.