CLEVELAND — Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has placed the city's top firefighter, Anthony Luke, on leave for making a social media post that showed an image of an assault rifle with a caption stating: "Bring out the next sacrifice!!"
Luke will remain on paid administrative leave while the city conducts an investigation.
Bibb issued the following statement, in part, regarding Luke's social media post.
"This post romanticizes gun violence, a matter far too serious in a city where we mourn too many families every week, too many lives cut short, and too many children denied safe sleep in their beds.
I firmly believe in free speech, and the First Amendment protects every individual’s right to express opinions—even those that are unpopular, provocative, or difficult to hear. But with rights come responsibilities, especially for those who hold positions of public trust and leadership. A public safety leader is not just another citizen: they are a standard-bearer for what the City of Cleveland stands for, what we teach our children, and how our neighbors should expect to be treated—and protected.
Chief Luke’s post crossed the line. It was insensitive, it was incendiary, and it did not reflect the values of compassion, unity, and safety that I strive to stand for—and that every public safety leader in this city should embody. We should never glorify violence; we should confront it, heal from it, and work tirelessly to prevent its next occurrence."
Bibb said the decision to put the chief on leave wasn't made lightly, but "community leaders, public safety personnel, and all citizens of Cleveland deserve leaders who understand the gravity of gun violence and who act in ways that bring us together rather than deepen wounds."
While Luke's post didn't mention a specific person, it comes as elected officials, EMS personnel and private citizens in Ohio face backlash for speaking negatively about Charlie Kirk, who was killed last week.
More on the Charlie Kirk social media debate:
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