{"id":3952,"date":"2026-07-08T05:09:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3952"},"modified":"2026-07-08T05:09:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T05:09:59","slug":"tennessee-railway-conductor-fired-over-his-viral-independence-day-message-to-passengers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3952","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee railway conductor fired over his viral Independence Day message to passengers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

A conductor at Tennessee\u2019s famed Incline Railway was fired for his viral Independence Day speech to tourists who were left disgusted by the controversial patriotic message.<\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner rape claims finally force top Dems to make pathetic U-turn: \u2018My kind of man\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Jack Peterson, the now-sacked operator at the 131-year-old attraction up to Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tenn., wished his American passengers a Happy Independence Day before welcoming foreigners to the rail system.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the very, very few Americans in here, Happy Independence Day,\u201d Peterson told his passengers, according to a TikTok video.<\/p>\n

Riders groaned at the short speech while one man demanded the conductor \u201cshut up\u201d as the train descended one of the world\u2019s steepest passenger railways.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the rest of you, welcome to the greatest country on the face of the planet, and if you disagree, you can leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The rail cart was quiet as riders processed the announcement Peterson had just made over the speakers. <\/p>\n

Passenger Nathan Scherer, who was on vacation with his family including his father Charles, posted the clip that had been viewed over 530,000 times, tagging Peterson\u2019s speech under the \u201cracism\u201d and \u201cxenophobia\u201d hashtags.<\/p>\n

Scherer reported Peterson, a part-time worker, to the Chattanooga\u00a0Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA), the operator of the Incline.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just really upset me, the whole time riding down,\u201d Charles Scherer told WTVC\u2019s Katie Glanton. \u201cAnd I kept thinking \u2018the company needs to know about this because he was the only one representing the company and I just had a feeling that they don\u2019t know that he is saying this.<\/p>\n

Read more Karmelo Anthony demands new judge, new trial in appeal of conviction for murdering Austin Metcalf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to make sure that we didn\u2019t have any problems with the Incline, we just really had a problem that you should be aware that he\u2019s making comments like that,\u201d the older Scherer said, revealing he was left embarrassed because his granddaughter was on the ride.<\/p>\n

Peterson defended his actions, saying he did not intend for his message to be taken negatively.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very patriotic; it was the USA\u2019s Independence Day. I was celebrating with my fellow Americans (native or non-native),\u201d Peterson told the outlet. <\/p>\n

\u201cI truly do believe we are the greatest country on earth. My statement about if you dont like the country and dont believe we are the best then you can leave is a freedom of the USA that many other countries do not have. It is not a racist or xenophobic thing to say. If you dont believe in making this country better then why are you here?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

WHAT IS THE INCLINE RAILWAY? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

CARTA officials revealed Peterson was immediately fired after his supervisor talked to him following the report being made.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Scott Wilson, CARTA\u2019s chief of staff, told WTVC.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have zero tolerance for language that demeans or excludes anyone who rides with us,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cFor 131 years, the Incline Railway has welcomed visitors from Chattanooga and from around the world. Every passenger who boards our railway deserves to feel respected and welcome, and we are committed to making sure that is always the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Graham Platner\u2019s implosion isn\u2019t a problem for just him \u2014 rather the entire Democratic Party<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A conductor at Tennessee’s famed Incline Railway was fired for his viral Independence Day speech to tourists who were left disgusted by the controversial patriotic message.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTennessee railway conductor fired over his viral Independence Day message to passengers - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3952\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tennessee railway conductor fired over his viral Independence Day message to passengers - 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