Tennessee railway conductor fired after ‘unacceptable’ remarks about non-Americans

A railway conductor on a Tennessee tourist attraction was fired after his comments telling non-Americans they “can leave” were captured on video and went viral on TikTok.

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The remarks were recorded during the July Fourth holiday on Chattanooga’s popular Incline Railway , a funicular running up Lookout Mountain.

Charles Scherer and his son, Nathan Scherer, were visiting from Florida for the holiday weekend. Shortly after they boarded the railway car, Nathan Scherer told NBC affiliate WRCB of Chattanooga , the conductor began making what he described as “disturbing comments.”

The Scherers told WRCB the rest of the ride up the mountain was notably silent, with other passengers appearing uncomfortable after they heard the conductor’s remarks.

During the ride back down, Nathan Scherer decided to pull out his phone and record.

In the video, the conductor addresses passengers over the loudspeaker, saying: “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.”

The video shows other passengers recording as the conductor speaks, as well. Someone can be heard yelling “shut up,” while another passenger appears to react with a concerned expression.

The Scherer family told WRCB the comments were “xenophobic” and “racist.” Charles Scherer said he sent the video that day to officials at the agency overseeing the railway, the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority, or CARTA.

“When I sent that, it was probably within 15 minutes I got a response from someone that said, ‘We are taking appropriate action on this, and I apologize,’ so that made me feel really good about CARTA and about their responsiveness to this,” Charles Scherer told WRCB.

CARTA did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.

In a statement to NBC News on Wednesday, CARTA chief of staff Scott Wilson apologized for the conductor’s behavior and said he was fired the day of the incident.

“Instead of following protocol — and common decency — this new, seasonal employee used the microphone to make assumptions about the citizenship status of our visitors and their disposition toward our great country,” Wilson said.

“We agree that this is the greatest country on the face of the planet, especially in this 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence,” he said. “But rudeness toward our guests is the exact opposite of the conductor’s role, and he was dismissed with cause the same day.”

Wilson, however, said that CARTA would “have an open dialogue” with the individual and determine if there was an opportunity to rehire him.

“The story of America is one of continued improvement, and we are hopeful we can demonstrate that with this employee in this unfortunate situation,” he said.