But not all heeded the warning, and on March 8, 2020, conservative politicians and media outlets referred to COVID-19 as the Wuhan or China virus, and it quickly gained steam across social media platforms.
Statistics show the stigmatizing language did exactly that. Anti-Asian hate crimes surged nearly 150% in 2020 and have persisted throughout the pandemic, according to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism .
From March 19, 2020 to Dec. 31, a total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander persons were reported to Stop AAPI Hate. Of those incidents, 42.5% occurred in 2020, while 57.5% occurred last year, according to Stop AAPI Hate’s latest national report .
Wilmington’s social media policy, which applies to all city employees, requires any employee who identifies themselves as a city employee on a social media network to clearly state that the views they express on social media are “the employee’s alone and that they do not necessarily reflect the views of the city.”
The social media policy further notes that a disclaimer is “particularly important when commenting on sensitive or controversial issues” as well as when an employee’s comment contradicts a position or interest of the city.
When Castellani’s profile was still public, she listed herself as having “worked” at the Wilmington Police Department. However, she is still employed with the department and has been since 2002, Karas confirmed.
The police sergeant’s public posts on Facebook remained innocuous until January 2021 when the tone shifted.
For example, on June 12, Castellani shared a video, commenting: “CHINA VIRUS: It’s time to hold China, Fauci, the media and Big Tech accountable!!!”
On Sept. 11, she posted, in part: “9/11 was a lie. It was not the Middle East that attacked us. It was our own country. The deep states military industrial complex.”
A week later, on Sept. 18, she shared an article about an anticipated “far-right rally” and commented, “With regard to today’s rally in DC, let’s see if anything BIG comes out of this…say…perhaps…ANOTHER insurrection…orchestrated by our very own FBI and carried out by ANTIFA & BLM posing as TRUMP supporters.”
Wilmington’s social media policy prohibits employees from displaying city logos without permission, posting images of coworkers without their consent, disclosing confidential or proprietary information about the city, or acting as a spokesperson for the city. It also prohibits employees from making statements about the city, coworkers, customers, or citizens that “could be considered as harassing, threatening, libelous, or defamatory in any way.”
Employees are also prohibited from sharing information that “engages in personal or sexual harassment, unfounded accusations, or remarks that would contribute to a hostile work environment (racial, sexual, religious, etc.).”
Councilman Christofer Johnson, who has pushed for a community police review board and stronger violence prevention efforts, said he wasn’t aware of the comment prior to being contacted by a News Journal reporter Monday afternoon, but noted that there is a “fine line” in dealing with city employees’ comments and actions on social media outside of their work capacity.
“There is obviously free speech, which is different if they identify as an officer versus if they are doing this in their official capacity,” he said. “There is a first amendment right, not that I agree with that comment, but you know, again, not everyone agrees with what everyone says. She’s currently an active member on the force, and I would say (the Office of Professional Standards) can make their official investigation and then see where it goes from there.”
The policy notes that the city regularly monitors its online reputation, and information it receives through those efforts will be dealt with, including discipline or even termination. City employees who witness inappropriate social media use have a duty to inform the city’s Human Resources Department.
“Employees should always remain aware of the public nature of their online activities,” the social media policy states. “There is no expectation of privacy with respect to content posted on the internet.”
Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com, or 302-598-5507. Follow her on Twitter at @mandy_fries.
