Buena Park police chaplain removed over anti-Muslim reposts on social media

City officials let go of a volunteer chaplain who was with the Buena Park Police Department since 1998 after discovering social media posts he reposted or liked that characterized Muslim people as violent and falsely warned of a Muslim takeover of the United States.

Pastor Don Harbert, who also serves as pastor of The Way Fellowship in Buena Park, was released from his position on Jan. 28, after city officials reviewed his social media posts and determined he made “broad characterizations portraying Muslims as violent” and shared “demonstrably false and misleading claims,” according to a statement on Buena Park Mayor Connor Traut’s personal social media.

“Such conduct is inconsistent with the neutrality, trust, and respect required of individuals serving in city-affiliated public safety and ceremonial roles,” Traut’s statement continued.

Harbert posted about his removal on both his personal and church social media accounts on Saturday, Feb. 28. Traut issued his statement the same day.

Harbert said the posts don’t reflect his views and that he never meant to offend anyone. The posts, he said, were meant to start a dialogue among his more than 6,000 followers on Facebook, whom he said range in their political ideologies.

“I have people following me on the extreme left and the extreme right,” Harbert said. “I’m just trying to get people to communicate.”

When Harbert learned he would no longer be a chaplain with the Police Department, the police chief, city manager and assistant city manager told him the decision was made because of his social media. Traut said that Harbert hadn’t offered to take down, reconsider or clarify his posts. But if city officials specified what posts were offensive or asked him to remove them, Harbert said he would have deleted them “in a heartbeat” out of respect for the police chief and city manager.

After his termination, city officials canceled plans to honor Harbert at a City Council meeting for winning the Buena Park Citizen of the Year Award from the Cypress College Americana Foundation. The foundation, which was set to honor Harbert and nine other awardees at a gala later this month, said Monday, March 2, that Harbert decided he would no longer accept the award.

During their conversation, Harbert said the foundation’s executive director Howard Kummerman asked him to rescind his acceptance. If he hadn’t rejected the award, Harbert said he was told the foundation would still need to come to a decision about whether he would receive it. He decided to give the award back to not take attention away from the foundation, which provides scholarships, book loans, grants and other support for Cypress College and its students.

“I told them, instead of bringing a black eye on them, I would rescind the offer,” Harbert said.

City officials said Harbert’s volunteer role with the Police Department’s chaplain program was ended because his posts broke Police Department and city policies.

“City volunteers, particularly those serving in prominent public-facing roles, are expected to serve the public at large as opposed to those with specific religious beliefs, and volunteers are expected to exhibit the City’s core values of ‘equity’ and ‘respect’ in their role with the City,” the city wrote in a statement.

The city declined to comment further.

Traut, who is also running for the Orange County Board of Supervisors, submitted a claim against Harbert on Jan. 26, after he said the posts were brought to his attention. Under his statement, Traut posted screenshots of five posts that Harbert had reposted or liked from his Facebook.

In one case, Traut said Harbert liked a comment that incorrectly said the U.S. had a law in 1952 that banned Muslims from holding public office and that the law should be reinstated. The McCarran-Walter Act upheld a previous immigration quota system and ended a ban on Asian immigrants, but it never mentioned barring anyone from running for office based on their faith.

Other reposts warned of a violent Muslim takeover of the United States, and one, reposted from an account called Conservative Twins, celebrated a right-wing anti-Islam protest in Michigan where protesters attempted to burn a Quran and stoke fear around the city’s Muslim population in November.

“Hundreds of bold Christians just marched straight into Muslim-majority Dearborn, Michigan, waving crosses and American flags, shouting ‘JESUS IS LORD’ and ‘NO SHARIA IN AMERICA,’” the Conservative Twins’ post read. “They came in peace … but with a thunderous message: Islam will NEVER conquer the USA!”

Harbert said he now believes he should have reposted content with context, making it clear that he wanted to start a dialogue, rather than making it seem he agreed with the views of the original poster. He said he has no hate or ill-will toward people of any faith and said he’s previously made efforts to create an interfaith council in Buena Park. Harbert said he would also never support a law that would prohibit Muslim people from holding office.

Traut expressed support for the decision to remove Harbert, but said that the City Council didn’t make the choice.

“Our city is home to residents of many faiths and backgrounds,” his statement continued. “Public servants and city-affiliated volunteers must uphold standards that foster trust, inclusion and respect for all members of our community. Buena Park will not tolerate conduct that undermines those values.”

After he learned of his termination, Harbert said he was devastated for a few days. Over his nearly three decades with the police department, he officiated weddings and funerals, delivered death notifications and built strong relationships with officers and leadership. Former Chief Frank Nunes played a large role in helping his son decide to become an officer, Harbert said, and he maintains a friendship with Interim Chief Bradley Geyer even though he let Harbert go.

Harbert said he’ll continue to have a presence in Buena Park as an individual and through the events he runs through his church to help the community.

“I still love Buena Park. I’m still going to be in Buena Park,” he said. “If they were offended, I never did it on purpose. My intention is never to offend people.”