University officer under fire after Confederate flag Facebook post

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Clayton State University police officer is coming under fire after he posted a Facebook message with a Confederate flag and the message, "It's time for the second revolution."

Capt. Rex Duke said the message he put on his Facebook page two days after the recent election is his personal opinion and has nothing to do with his job.

Channel 2's Tom Jones talked to students at Clayton State University about the posting and many were stunned.

"That's very controversial to be putting that on there," student Amber Young said.

Another student was surprised it was posted by a captain with the police department.

"And with the profession that he has, that's very unprofessional to do," student Willie Talmadge said.

Two days after the Nov. 6 election, Duke changed his profile picture to the controversial post.

"What I do on my personal Facebook page is my personal life. It has no connection to the campus. It's my personal business," Duke told Jones by phone.

But students said in this day and age your personal opinions can get you in trouble.

"A lot of people have gotten fired for what they had on their personal website," student Candice Conner said.

A Clayton State representative told Jones the university doesn't have a policy that deals with employees and their personal social sites.

Jones asked Duke if the comment about a revolution was targeted at President Obama.

He told Jones he meant revolution to get rid of the politicians. "We need to vote them out," he said.

Students wonder how Duke can separate his personal feelings from his job duties.

"I feel like comments like that you need to keep to yourself. Not put it on social media websites," student Bryson Manzi said.

Duke said the Confederate flag was a way to pay tribute to his heritage and culture.

The university said it is now investigating the matter.

WSBTV