Rioters who stormed US Capitol now face backlash at work

NEW YORK — A printing company in Maryland saw the photo on Twitter Wednesday night: an employee roaming the halls of the U.S. Capitol with a company badge around his neck. He was fired the next day. Others are facing similar repercussions at work for their participation in Wednesday's riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some business owners are being trashed on social media and their establishments boycotted, while rank-and-file employees at other businesses have been fired. The printing company, Navistar Direct Marketing, declined to name the worker but said it can't offer employment to people "demonstrating dangerous conduct that endangers the health and safety of others." A Cleveland school occupational therapist resigned from the district after her alleged involvement in the riot. But her resignation letter cited reasons for her departure related to switching career paths to focus on exposing human trafficking and pedophilia and not wanting to take a COVID-19 vaccine in order to return to in-person school. Christine Priola, 49, submitted a resignation letter to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District on Thursday after social media users linked her to photos taken of a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump who stormed the U.S. Capitol a day before and forced lawmakers into hiding in an attempt to overturn the presidential election. But WKYC-TV in Cleveland reported Saturday authorities from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Willoughby Police Department took several file boxes and a large plastic bag of unknown materials from Priola's Lake County house Friday night. Officials also searched the home's garage and vehicles before leaving the scene about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. A message seeking comment about whether Priola was under federal investigation was left Friday for the U.S. attorney for northern Ohio. The school district accepted her resignation shortly after she submitted it and stated while officials believe in the right of any individual to peacefully protest, it condemns the actions taken by hundreds on Wednesday. "The right of peaceful protest, as protected by the first amendment, is a foundation of our democracy," said spokesperson Roseann Canfora. "The forcible takeover and willful destruction of our government is not." In the resignation letter, Priola cites beliefs that are in line with a conspiracy theory espoused by some Trump supporters who attended Wednesday's riots. QAnon is the baseless belief that Trump has been secretly fighting deep state enemies and a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex-trafficking ring. Priola also stated she's resigning because she refuses to take the COVID-19 vaccine after Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced this week that school employees in Ohio are scheduled to receive it Feb. 1 if the district agrees to return to in-class learning in March. A message seeking comment was left at a phone number listed for Priola. A spokeswoman for a fire department near Orlando, Florida said one of its firefighters was being investigated for his participation. Sanford Fire Department firefighter Andy Williams has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome, said spokeswoman Bianca Gillett. More than 90 people have been arrested since Wednesday when loyalists to outgoing President Donald Trump disrupted lawmakers as they met to confirm the Electoral College results and President-elect Joe Biden's victory. People on social media have been trying to identify rioters photographed or filmed at the Capitol Wednesday, pressuring companies that employ them to fire them. At a data analytics firm in suburban Chicago, the employee in question was the top boss. Cogensia fired CEO Bradley Rukstales Friday night for his participation in the riot. "This decision was made because Rukstales' actions were inconsistent with the core values of Cogensia," said newly-named acting CEO Joel Schiltz in a statement. "Cogensia condemns what occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and we intend to continue to embrace the values of integrity, diversity and transparency in our business operations, and expect all employees to embrace those values as well." Rukstales, who was arrested for unlawful entry, told a local CBS news channel that he had entered the Capitol and apologized for his role in the events. Calls and emails to Rukstales weren't returned. Most private employers can fire workers for attending protests, since First Amendment rights only prohibit people from being punished by the government for their speech, not by a private employer, said Susan Kline, an Indianapolis-based labor and employment attorney at law firm Faegre Drinker. There are some exceptions: Those who work for the government may be more legally protected, and so too are many unionized workers, who typically have a contract listing the reasons for which they could be fired. And some states may have laws that protect workers' free speech. But "what people did at the Capitol Wednesday was rioting, not protesting," said Aaron Holt, a labor and employment attorney with law firm Cozen O'Connor. "When someone violates the law, that's almost never going to be protected, and a private employer is going to be within their rights to discipline or take some kind of action in response to that that might go against their fundamental core values." Small businesses are also facing backlash on online review sites such as Yelp, which flagged at least 20 businesses for unusual review activity related to Wednesday's rioting. One business, Becky's Flowers in Midland, Texas, is owned by Jenny Cudd, a former mayoral candidate who posted a video on Facebook bragging about breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. By Friday, Cudd's flower shop was flooded with dozens of one-star reviews in which she was called a traitor and domestic terrorist, along with photos of her inside the Capitol. Cudd later said in a video message to The Associated Press that she didn't personally go into Pelosi's office or see people break down the door, and that when she said "we," she meant all of the people who were at the Capitol. She said she didn't do anything violent or destroy any property. "I walked through an open door into the Capitol along with several hundred other people," Cudd said. She added that she had "received several death threats along with thousands of one-star reviews from across the country of people who have never frequented my business." Yelp has flagged businesses for unusual review activity following less egregious but still controversial events. Reviewers raged on the Yelp page of Virginia restaurant The Red Hen after it booted former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders from its establishment a few years ago. And commenters from the left and right bombarded Big Apple Pizza's Yelp page with political beliefs after former President Barack Obama was enthusiastically hugged by a customer there. Social media has outed people for their involvement in activities outside of the workplace, landing them in trouble with their employers. In 2017 after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, many posted photos on social media of those who participated, leading in some cases to their firing. In Louisiana, customers said they would boycott supermarket chain Rouses Market after retired owner Donald Rouse was shown in a photo at Wednesday's riot. Rouse said in an email statement that he attended the rally as a supporter of the president but left before the violence began. "I'm horrified by the violence and destruction we saw yesterday and the pain it has caused so many," Rouse said. "Our country desperately needs to come together to heal, and I will do everything I can to be a part of that process." The Krewe of Red Beans, a group which organizes parades, posted on Instagram that it would return $20,000 in donations it received from the market.