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Councilman Demands Resignation of 2 Louisiana Public Servants After Threats to Lynch NAACP President

A Lafayette, Louisiana city councilman is calling out two service board members after they made alarming comments about a Black NAACP president.

During a Tuesday, Nov. 1 city council meeting, Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux wants the two involved — joking about hanging president Marja Broussard — to step down. Boudreaux believes the two are unfit to serve on the board. In addition, the councilman calls for the board’s attorney to resign.

In a recording, the board’s attorney Candice Hattan and Chairman Jason Boudreaux can be heard making indecent jokes referencing lynching. The jokes stem from a previous incident involving the NAACP president.

According to KATC ABC 3 News, Broussard was ordered to pay the board’s attorney’s fees after a lawsuit she filed against the board was dismissed. Hattan and the chairman discussed what they would do if she did not show up to court to pay the fees.

“The next step is we go to court,” Jason Boudreaux says. “And the judge puts the party under oath and I question her as to what her assets are. We always want to get personal service of that on the judgment and as well as the notice. It’s your best chance. We could ask for a bench warrant if she doesn’t show up.”

Then, Hattan responds with the hypothetical lynching.

“We can’t do that. They closed debtors prison down. We cannot hang the poor lady by you know, by a rope in front of the court house for the birds to pick her eye’s out.”

The recording was played for all councilmen to hear. Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux finds the jokes offensive and insensitive.

“We have a public servant getting paid with taxpayer’s dollars. Talking about and referencing hanging someone in front of the courthouse by the neck with a rope until the birds come and eat her eyes out. This is unacceptable … If we cannot maintain the confidence of the people in our official capacity, I don’t know how we can expect the people to act reasonable going forward.”

Furthermore, Jason Boudreaux tells KATC that he is not resigning and his statements were taken out of context.  He implies that Kenneth Boudreaux and Broussard have ulterior motives.

“… All of this goes back to not reducing the education requirements for chief of police. It’s ridiculous.”

However, the council is powerless. Members can not reprimand Hattan and Jason Boudreaux for the incident. But Kenneth Boudreaux has asked police and fire chiefs to conduct separate independent investigations.

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