Viral Photo of North Coast Man Wearing White Power Shirt Tests Our Civil Discourse

Screenshot of a comment on the post that went viral. It was liked or loved 30 times.

A Humboldt County business owner’s photograph went viral this weekend after a potential employer photographed him arriving with an estimate for a roofing job while wearing a shirt with a white supremacist slogan. The original post has been shared over one thousand times on Facebook including on the pages “Humboldt County on Alert*, “Black Lives Matter Austin”, and “United for Bernie Sanders.” The viral post has resulted in the doxing of the man and has garnered reactions ranging from civil to hostile.

Nick Williams, the man in the photograph, revealed that since the image was posted on Facebook, he has received “dozens of death threats” from places as far as Virginia. He described leaving his kids at another person’s home out of fear of their safety. He also expressed concern about a loss of his business’s revenue and worried about his ability to “pay his mortgage”.

Tom Tellez, the photographer, and author of the original Facebook post said the intent of the post was “not to attack [Williams].” Tellez said he did not “regret posting it” because he hopes it will go towards “making a better world.” He explained that “symbols have been around since the beginning of time and they matter. [Williams] should expect a reaction if he wears something like that.”

Tellez admitted, “Part of me sympathizes with him.” He explained, “I don’t think he deserves threats.” Tellez said he was concerned with the tactics taken by some of the critics. He said, “I don’t like people making fun of his face and I don’t like watching people post pictures of nooses.”

After the photograph went viral, a letter to the editor was sent to North Coast news outlets written by “a group of folks from different organizations in Humboldt County who are working toward creating a welcoming community.” One of the signatories of the letter was Heidi Moore-Guynup, the Superintendent of McKinleyville Union School District, who spoke towards the intent of the letter to the editor and the community’s reaction to the post.

Moore-Guynup said the letter deliberately kept the man in the photograph vague because “we don’t want to lose focus of the bigger issue” which is “to bring light to the pervasive nature of systemic racism on a local and national level.” Assessing the community’s reaction to the viral post, she explained, “The focus appears to be on this one gentleman. For me, there’s a much bigger picture that demonstrates the need for comprehensive education.”

Moore-Guynup was also troubled by ad-hominem attacks on the man focusing on his looks calling them “distasteful” and was troubled to hear about the threats he and his family have faced. “I’m sure he’s feeling vulnerable, financially compromised, and is acting to protect his children,” she said.

Circumstances like these challenge us to our core: racism must be stopped and civility must be sought. Tellez mused that the man he photographed “is a small pawn in a bigger picture. Our society needs to learn to respect again.”

Moore-Guynup encouraged all to “keep the dialogue on the important issues here and refrain from engaging in mean behavior. Let’s model how to have civil, public discourse in an intellectual manner.”

Below are some of the resources shared by authors of the letter to the editor to provide our readers with information on the nature, reality, and extent of systemic racism:

• Attend Teaching Tolerance’s webinars examining issues of equity and racism.
• Read Ijema Oluo’s So You Want to Talk About Race
• Listen to a Podcast on Race and Equity 
• Use the Eureka NAACP’s Discrimination Complaint Form to report racist behaviors or sentiments.

*Note: Humboldt County on Alert Administrators removed posts about the incident several times.

NOTE: We apologize for using the incorrect name in an earlier version of this post.