Nordstrom fires employee, citing Facebook comments

PORTLAND, Ore. — Nordstrom has fired a Portland employee after the sales associate apparently posted a controversial statement using his personal Facebook page advocating the killing of police officers.

"What our former employee chose to post from his personal account does not in any way reflect our views as a company," said Tara Darrow, a Nordstrom corporate affairs spokeswoman. "We do not tolerate violence, violent conversation or threats of any kind."

Nordstrom sales associate Aaron Hodges has since taken down his Facebook and Twitter accounts, but a screen shot of his comment has been circulating online. In response to recent police shootings, Hodges, who is black, suggested on Facebook:

"Instead of slamming the police, I prefer a Kenny Fort approach. Every time an unarmed black man is killed, you kill a decorated white officer, on his door step in front of his family."

Online critics went after Nordstrom, where Hodges worked at the downtown Portland, Ore. location. His personal Facebook page included what appears to be a photo inside the store and link to the retailer.

Nordstrom used social media to respond to dozens of angry tweets and online posts about the controversy after The Blaze commentator John Cardillo, a former NYPD cop, tweeted an apparent picture of Hodges' Facebook page to Nordstrom's Twitter handle.

KGW was not able to reach Hodges for response or to independently verify his online comments.

In major cities this weekend, tens of thousands of people held demonstrations calling for an end of racial profiling by police. Anger and frustration over the treatment of blacks by police, following the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and Eric Garner in New York, have mounted after grand juries in both cases decided not to indict the involved officers.