Michigan man quickly fired for hanging doll of President Obama in noose

Brad Taylor says he’s no bigot.

But the taunting, accusatory phone calls won’t stop, he said, after photos began circulating on social media Friday evening, showing one of his business’ trucks adorned with a stuffed doll of President Obama in a noose.

Taylor, owner of Brighton-based Taylor Moving & Storage, said he was appalled, quickly investigated and fired the employee who tied the doll above the front seat of one of his moving trucks.

“Once I verified what took place, I fired that employee,” Taylor responded. “I am not a racist. I am in a mixed-race family. I am the last person who would tolerate something like this.”

The photo was taken by Jaye Turner, who was working in Farmington Hills on Thursday when he spotted the doll.

“When I saw that, I said, ‘Enough is enough.’ This is 2014, and you’re hanging a black doll from a noose?” Turner told me.

The photos circulated on Facebook and Twitter, prompting calls to boycott his company. He said he’s received voicemails accusing him of being a racist.

Taylor said his employee on Friday found a discarded Obama campaign doll from 2008 and tied it inside the truck Thursday.

“Believe me, I wanted to know why it was on my truck too,” Taylor told me.

“I have multiple trucks. I wish I could be in every place at every possible time so stuff like this doesn’t happen.”

The photo has provoked outrage on social media.

“The saddest thing is people think we have come so far,” read one Facebook post. “You better know without a great education (Whitney Houston said it best) We have Nothing.”

Yes, I’m putting Taylor Moving and Storage on blast for this horrific display of racism and… http://t.co/RiJvfI2LPg

— Crystal P. (@CrystalPisCrazy) May 9, 2014

  Brighton, Doll, President Obama, racism, suburbs, Taylor Moving & storage, Truck

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.

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