Could you go to a higher up and show them the picture? This seems like an easy fix.

Drives me nuts when people (bosses or HR) just write people up without investigating first and getting to the bottom of a situation. Just because someone has said something about another doesn't mean it's automatically true.

In some cases, there's a mandatory write up if there's a complaint. It really depends on the company. Not saying it's fair, just that it's a thing.

Yeah this seems like something you can appeal

In that case he should complain that his coworker is harassing him over a picture given to him by his grandfather. Write ups for everyone lol.

Some people need to mind their own business.

The OP is from California, everyone is offended there.

WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING ABOUT CALIFORNIANS!!!?

Not all of us. Unfortunately, the ones who ARE tend to be the loudest about it and drown out all of us more reasonable human beings.

As a fellow Californian, I can vouch that a lot of us do get easily offended

Damn, OP. Being wrongfully punished is always a nuisance, isn't it?

Hopefully you can get it cleared up with both your coworker and HR.

I hate it when people jump to conclusions like that :/

Co-worker should have minded his or her own business from the beggining...

This is why I hate those so-called "social justice warriors."

SJW's are cancer.

Here's the thing, though: It _is_ important to address actual problems where they exist. One person's overreaction doesn't mean nobody should make appropriate reactions, or that everyone who reacts appropriately should be painted with the same brush as the overreactors.

More similar to terrorists than warriors imo

60, unfortunately, the majority of stuff SJWs harp on about are non-issues.
Cultural appropriation? I always thought that cultures building off each other was a good thing.
Speech codes on campus? I always thought people should be allowed to have and express any beliefs they want, because universities should be encouraging debate, not silencing people.
Sexist air conditioning (yes, this was a real thing)? I shouldn't even have to explain how stupid this is.
That's not even to mention the fact that a lot of SJWs will propagate false statistics in order to support their narratives (eg: the so-called wage gap doesn't take into account job choice, wage negotiation, education type, hours worked, or overtime. Also, the 1/5 sexual assault figure has been repeatedly debunked, as it was one of the most unscientific studies of modern times having a small sample size, a non-representative sample, and they completely disregarded female on male rape. To put it in perspective, the actual rate of sexual assault/rape according to the Department of Justice is 1/52, which includes both reported and estimated unreported cases).

SJWs are the modern-day authoritarians. They want to police interactions and have strict regulations on society, which is the exact opposite of what anyone who believes in individual rights and freedoms wants.

Claim land rights over your desk and say you'll display whatever you please on your land

Show them the picture and explain what it means to you! I'm sure they'll understand!

I doubt that it will make a difference. The co-worker has a preconceived notion of what Native Americans are like, and very little is going to change their mind.

Were they from tumblr by any chance?

Most likely, they always have to cause a huge scene about something small.

What happened to just confronting people.. immediately going to HR wasn't even warranted if it had been a caricature

A normal workplace would ask to see the photo before writing you up. Might be time to find a professional company.