Chattanooga transit agency fires conductor over Fourth of July remarks

A Chattanooga transit agency fired a part-time railway conductor this week after a viral video captured him telling Fourth of July passengers that America is “the greatest country on the face of the planet” and that anyone who disagreed could leave.

The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, which operates the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, identified the conductor as Jack Peterson. A TikTok video posted by Nathan Scherer, who was riding the railway with his father, Charles, showed Peterson telling the car, “To the very, very few Americans in here, happy Independence Day. To the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave.” A passenger can be heard responding, “Shut up.”

Mr. Scherer, who traveled from Florida for the holiday, told Local 3 News in Chattanooga that the conductor “made some sort of disparaging remarks about foreigners” as soon as the ride began, and that most passengers rode up the mountain in uncomfortable silence before he decided to record the trip back down. His father forwarded the video to CARTA the same afternoon, and Mr. Scherer said the agency responded within about 15 minutes to say it was taking action. 

CARTA’s chief of staff, Scott Wilson, said a director at the Incline Railway met with Mr. Peterson that day and fired him immediately. In a statement, Mr. Wilson apologized directly to riders who witnessed the exchange, saying, “I want to apologize directly to the passengers who experienced this, and to everyone who has seen the video and felt its sting. It should never have happened.” He added that CARTA has “zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us.” 

In a more detailed statement to Fox News Digital, Mr. Wilson said Mr. Peterson had been dismissed for cause under CARTA’s employee conduct code, which requires that operators be “pleasant and courteous in speech and manner.” He said the conductor’s role is limited to seating passengers, delivering safety announcements and playing a prerecorded history of the railway — “not an opportunity to share personal views” — and that Mr. Peterson had instead used the microphone to make assumptions about riders’ citizenship status.

According to that same statement to Fox News Digital, CARTA’s chief executive, Charles Frazier, who was traveling during the holiday weekend, has since reached out to Mr. Peterson to discuss “the impact and intention of his words” and “to determine if there is a path forward for reemployment in some capacity.” That characterization is difficult to square with CARTA’s earlier public statements — including one from Mr. Wilson quoted by Local 3 News on Tuesday — which said flatly that Mr. Peterson “will not work for CARTA or the Incline Railway again.” CARTA has not publicly reconciled the two statements or announced any reinstatement process.

Mr. Peterson, for his part, has stood by his remarks. He told WTVC NewsChannel 9 that he was “celebrating with my fellow Americans (native or non-native)” and that his statement about disagreeing with the country’s greatness was not racist or xenophobic. In a statement to Fox News Digital, he said he does not believe his firing was justified, adding, “What has this country come to when someone can get fired on Independence Day for a patriotic statement.” 

Since the video went viral, Mr. Peterson has started a GoFundMe campaign to offset lost income. As of Wednesday afternoon, it had raised $6,211 toward an $8,000 goal from 169 donations — figures likely to change before publication.

Mr. Scherer said he did not intend for Mr. Peterson to lose his job over the remarks.

“I did not intend to get Mr. Peterson fired and wish no ill will towards him,” he said. “I honestly hope he gets his job back and that he instead welcomes all riders. The U.S. is for all and not just those who were lucky enough to be born here.”

The Incline Railway, billed as North America’s steepest funicular, has operated on Lookout Mountain since the 19th century and draws visitors from across the country and abroad.