Abernathy’s Harley-Davidson of Union City Tennessee came under intense fire last week for racist posts allegedly made by owner Russell “Tootie” Abernathy II.
Racist posts allegedly made by owner Russell “Tootie” Abernathy II
Abernathy’s family has owned the multi-line (Harley, Honda, Polaris and Brunswick) dealership for 60 years. The dealer was founded in 1955 when Russell Abernathy’s grandfather, the late Clarence Abernathy, began working with Harley-Davidson motorcycles in his garage. In addition, Abernathy’s sold boat brands Lowe and Lund including the engine brand Mercury Marine.
Abernathy stated to the media and on the company website that his social media account was hacked by a disgruntled employee who tried to make him look bad.
Polaris, which is based in Minnesota where the tragic death of George Floyd occured, didn’t pause to determine the nature or extent of the hack and on June 17 stated that Abernathy had agreed to cede ownership of his store. “Should that transfer not occur, Polaris will terminate the relationship with the current ownership.”
Honda Statement
Brunswick Corporation terminated their contract with Abernathy’s last week as well.
Honda is taking a more determined approach and investigating the situation before taking immediate action.
A week after the Polaris announcement, Harley-Davidson decided to also cut ties with Abernathy, stating “The dealer owner in question will no longer be part of our dealer network and we are finalizing details on the dealer owner’s exit.” Before any determination of an employee hack occurred, Harley-Davidson experienced some derision history with Abernathy which didn’t help his “I was hacked” alibi.
Harley-Davidson Statement
Back in 2015, Abernathy was at odds with the motor company over the Confederate flag. The dealer posted on social media that “As of today, we have been informed Harley-Davidson will no longer let any Dealership sell any T-shirts with the Confederate Battle Flag on the back.” This was an issue for the Tennessee dealer and they made some social media noise about not liking the decision.
We know that small businesses are reeling by COVID-19 and the shut down of the economy. Then came the last 6-weeks of protests across the country and businesses need to be proactive with more meaningful action against racism.
Abernathy’s “Hack” Statement
Debate is okay, but there is zero tolerance for disparaging racial posts by any employee.
Harley-Davidson stated on Twitter that if you see someone who works for the motor company spreading hate, please call their Customer Care Team at 1-800-258-2464 (Monday through Friday; 8am-7pm CDT). Or you can write to Harley-Davidson Customer Care at 3700 W. Juneau Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53208. Of course, social media is faster!
Next up for “Tootie” is a tell all book: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Running a Motorcycle Dealership!
Photos courtesy of Twitter, Honda, Harley-Davidson and Abernathy’s.
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