Facebook’s creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg left Civil Rights leaders stunned and disappointed after a Zoom meeting.
What We Know:
- On Friday, President Trump spoke about the protests over the killing of George Floyd by saying “Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts” on Facebook and Twitter. Twitter flagged the tweet with a warning that the post violates the company’s rules about “glorifying violence” but Facebook didn’t do anything.
- Leaders of civil rights organizations, such as Color of Change, The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund held a Zoom meeting with the Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg on Monday.
- Civil rights leaders who spoke to Zuckerberg said they are shocked by the Facebook CEO’s refusal to take action against the seditious post by the President.
- “We are disappointed and stunned by Mark’s incomprehensible explanations for allowing the Trump post to remain up,” wrote the leaders, Rashad Robinson of Color of Change, Vanita Gupta of the Leadership Conference and Sherrilyn Ifill of LDF. “He did not demonstrate understanding of historic or modern-day voter suppression and he refuses to acknowledge how Facebook is facilitating Trump’s call for violence against protesters. Mark is setting a very dangerous precedent for other voices who would say similar harmful things on Facebook.”
- A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement “We’re grateful that leaders in the civil rights community took the time to share candid, honest feedback with Mark and Sheryl. It is an important moment to listen, and we look forward to continuing these conversations.”
- On Monday, hundreds of Facebook employees took part in a “virtual walk out” in a rare show of opposition within the company. The employees shared via Twitter that they were ashamed and upset by Zuckerberg’s choice to do nothing about Trump’s post.
- This is not the first time Facebook has beeen critized for its handling of civil rights issues. Last year, Facebook was charged by the Department of Housing and Urban Development with “discrimination” in its housing advertising practices after settling a lawsuit with the ACLU over the issue.
Zuckerberg had spoke with President Donald Trump after Trump posted the malevolent comments to social media but failed to have a discussion with civil rights leaders about the implication of those comments .
