The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana wants the House of Representatives to censure U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins for comments threatening violence against protesters.
As communities in and around Lafayette continued to protest against the killing of Trayford Pellerin by police, Higgins made Facebook post accompanied by a photo of armed Black men Rep. where he wrote, “One way ticket fellas…Have your affairs in order…I’d drop any 10 of you where you stand.”
Higgins, a Republican who represents the Lafayette area, is a former St. Landry Parish deputy. Facebook later removed the racist post.
“Lafayette is a community that is grieving and rightfully demanding justice, and such calls for change should never be met by racist threats or intimidation,” said ACLU Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert. “Representative Higgins’ racist and reprehensible threat to shoot protesters harkens back to the darkest days of racial terror in our country and should be publicly censured by the U.S. House of Representatives. Protesting injustice is a fundamental right and a cherished tradition that’s been used by Americans of every generation to move our country forward and push for positive change. The people of Lafayette have a right to make their voices heard without fear of intimidation or arrest. The ACLU of Louisiana will continue to stand with all those demanding justice and an end to police violence against people of color.”
The ACLU of Louisiana has also come out in support of the demands of the Lafayette Parish NAACP, including ending qualified immunity for police officers; creating a citizen law enforcement oversight committee; establishing substantive and meaningful police reform; hosting weekly Lafayette Police Community Relations Committee meetings until a plan is developed; and creating a minority affairs task force.
