VANCOUVER, Wash. – A Clark County deputy was fired earlier this week after the sheriff’s office was reportedly made aware of photos of the deputy wearing a sweatshirt affiliated with a far right political group.
The sheriff’s office said Erin Willey was fired on Tuesday after an internal investigation. She was hired in May of 2017.
The sheriff’s office wouldn’t say why Willey was fired but The Columbian reports she was fired for wearing apparel associated with the Proud Boys.
A photo, shared with The Columbian by an anonymous source, shows Willey wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a knife dripped in blood, lipstick and the letters “PBG,” which the newspaper said stands for Proud Boys’ Girls.
The Columbian also reports a photo shared on a Proud Boys-affiliated Twitter account included her contact information for buying Proud Boys’ Girls merchandise.
The Southern Poverty Law Center describes the Proud Boys as a designated hate group “known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric," whose “disavowals of bigotry are belied by their actions."
The group's Twitter bio reads, “I am a Wester Chauvinist and I Refuse to Apologize for Creating the Modern World. The West is the Best!” Their website advocates goals like “abolish prisons," “give everyone a gun,” and “venerate the housewife." It also states, “Being proud of western culture today is like being a crippled, black, lesbian communist in 1953.”
The group, founded in 2016, has been involved in multiple violent run-ins.
Clark County Sheriff Chuck Atkins released a statement on Willey’s firing.
“Law enforcement officers are peacekeepers whose core mission is to protect and safeguard the community. My expectation is that my employees do not engage in activities or associations that undermine or diminish our role as peacekeepers,” Atkins said.
Editor's note: Photo courtesy of The Columbian