Two Louisiana police officers were terminated from their positions on Monday (July 22), due to a Facebook post that suggested the shooting of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The Washington Post reports.
In a now-deleted Facebook message, Charlie Rispoli, an officer from Gretna, La., wrote, “This vile idiot needs a round……..and I don’t mean the kind she used to serve,” alluding to a gunshot while mentioning her past career as a bartender.
In addition to Rispoli, Officer Angelo Varisco reportedly “liked” the post and was also fired. In response to the incident, Ocasio-Cortez said it’s a product of Donald Trump’s controversial rhetoric against people of color.
This is Trump’s goal when he uses targeted language & threatens elected officials who don’t agree w/ his political agenda. It’s authoritarian behavior.
The President is sowing violence. He’s creating an environment where people can get hurt & he claims plausible deniability. https://t.co/GuYKPGzSLm
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 22, 2019
Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson addressed the occurrence in a recent press conference, citing that the acts of the officers were unacceptable. “This incident, we feel, has been an embarrassment to our department,” Lawson said. “These officers have certainly acted in a manner which was unprofessional, alluding to a violent act be conducted against a sitting U.S. [congresswoman], a member of our government [and] we are not going to tolerate that.”
“Whether you agree or disagree with the message of these elected officials and how frustrated you may or may not get, this certainly is not the type of thing that a public servant should be posting,” he continued.
