A conductor on Tennessee’s historic Incline Railway has been fired after a Fourth of July announcement to passengers went viral and drew backlash from riders who found the patriotic message offensive.
Jack Peterson, who worked part time as an operator on the 131-year-old railway that carries visitors up Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, began by wishing American passengers a happy Independence Day before addressing tourists from outside the country.
“To the very, very few Americans in here, Happy Independence Day,” Peterson said over the train’s speaker system, according to a TikTok video recorded during the ride.
The remark immediately drew groans from passengers, and one man could be heard telling the conductor to “shut up” as the rail car made its way down one of the steepest passenger railways in the world.
Peterson continued, “To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave.”
After the announcement, the rail car fell largely silent as passengers appeared to absorb what had just been said over the speakers.
Passenger Nathan Scherer, who was vacationing with his family, including his father Charles, later posted the clip to TikTok. The video has since been viewed more than 530,000 times, with Scherer tagging the post with “racism” and “xenophobia” hashtags.
Scherer also reported Peterson to the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, known as CARTA, which operates the Incline Railway.
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“It just really upset me, the whole time riding down,” Charles Scherer told WTVC’s Katie Glanton. “And I kept thinking ‘the company needs to know about this because he was the only one representing the company and I just had a feeling that they don’t know that he is saying this.
“I wanted to make sure that we didn’t have any problems with the Incline, we just really had a problem that you should be aware that he’s making comments like that,” the older Scherer said, revealing he was left embarrassed because his granddaughter was on the ride.
Peterson defended his actions, saying he did not intend for his message to be taken negatively.
“I’m very patriotic; it was the USA’s Independence Day. I was celebrating with my fellow Americans (native or non-native),” Peterson told the outlet.
“I truly do believe we are the greatest country on earth. My statement about if you dont like the country and dont believe we are the best then you can leave is a freedom of the USA that many other countries do not have. It is not a racist or xenophobic thing to say. If you dont believe in making this country better then why are you here?” he said.
WHAT IS THE INCLINE RAILWAY?
CARTA officials revealed Peterson was immediately fired after his supervisor talked to him following the report being made.
“I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this, and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting. It should never have happened,” Scott Wilson, CARTA’s chief of staff, told WTVC.
“We have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us,” Wilson said. “For 131 years, the Incline Railway has welcomed visitors from Chattanooga and from around the world. Every passenger who boards our railway deserves to feel respected and welcome, and we are committed to making sure that is always the case.”
