NEW ORLEANS – Amid ongoing protests against the killing of Trayford Pellerin by police, the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana urged the House of Representatives to censure U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins for comments threatening violence against protesters. In a Facebook post accompanied by a photo of armed Black men Rep. Higgins wrote, “One way ticket fellas…Have your affairs in order…I’d drop any 10 of you where you stand.”
The following is a statement from ACLU of Louisiana executive director Alanah Odoms Hebert.
“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. 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 supports 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.
