MANITOWOC, Wis (NBC 26) -- On Tuesday, remorse from a Manitowoc man was presented in the form of an apology. The apology came after a photo he posted from a boat outing went viral online.
Last week, Jeff Just, posted a picture on Facebook which showed four men out on the water, which included, what resembled a noose in the background of the picture. On Tuesday, Just shared how he regrets posting the photo.
It was just a week ago when many in Manitowoc saw a picture online making its rounds. The picture has since been deleted by the man who posted it but not before many we're outraged to see it.
"I took it exactly what it looked like. As a taunt of lynching, as us being mocked," says Jay Meeks the President of Lakeshore's United Visionaries.
Meeks says he didn't recognize the men in the photo, but soon found out they were owners of two prominent businesses in town. One of the men, Jeff Just, is the owner of Just Orthodontics and another man in the photo is Brennan Seehafer, who owns The Wharf.
"A lot of emotions, disappointment, anger," says Meeks describing what it felt like to look at the photo.
Early on when the post was discovered online Seehafer, the owner of The Wharf, expressed his outrage with the photo. He shared a statement with local media early last week regarding the matter.
"I did not post nor share this image and do not agree with the message it represents. It is repulsive. Had I known this was happening behind my back, I would have refused to be in the photo. I acknowledge that racist content is hurtful, divisive and shameful."
And on Tuesday Jeff Just, shared his thoughts about how the photo that he posted online was a mistake and a learning lesson. He shared his thoughts with a crowd of people who showed up to his Manitowoc business.
"Well, I just wanted to get out and personally and publicly apologize. Like I said, I thought it was important."
Over 30 people waited for Just's arrival at his office on Tuesday after he told them he was prepared to address the public regarding his post. A post that many people thought was put online in bad taste and not addressed by everyone in the photo promptly enough.
"They need to man up. It's all about ownership and most importantly, it's a learning curve with diversity. It's something people will look back on and say hey, that was a bad mistake" says Meeks describing what he hoped to hear upon Just's arrival.
"It hurts me because I'm, not that person. None of us in that picture are. We're all good people, we're not racists. It was a bad choice on my part, the comment (it really is a garage door pull) obviously was inappropriate and I'm just gonna have to try to restore my reputation and prove to people who I really am." said Just.
And so on Tuesday, with a group of people waiting for an explanation, Just acknowledged a mistake, one that many hope means more than just words.
"Just a picture alone without a caption can have a real effect. People look at it in a way very different way than I was thinking. To me, it was just an innocent picture of four guys on a boat and he was holding the bowtie knot," said Just.
"There's two different ways of saying I'm sorry. I'm learning, I apologize, I want to hold myself accountable, it won't happen again. Then there is, I'm sorry I got caught, I'm sorry it went this far," said Meeks prior to Just's statement.
Looking forward Just plans to put an "action plan together" to connect with community members who can learn from his experience. During Tuesday's event Just stated he would like to work with Lakeshore's United Visionaries, to help to start that process.
