Estherwood, LA Police In Trouble Over Racist Facebook Posts (Trigger Warning)

quote:

---

As someone who has been friends with Welsh for years, Chief Villejoin couldn’t help but be shocked by the racist post of his second in command.

“How’d this come out, I don’t know. This I don’t really understand it start off with. He done it. He said it and he realized what he had done after he done it and he deleted it but it was too late.” said Villejoin.

Villejoin says he had to take action because he believes those statements don’t reflect Estherwood police.

“I got him out yesterday. I suspended him and I was going to take the phone away and he was not allowed to get on Facebook in the unit” said Villejoin.

He also wanted to make one thing clear.

“I know Wayne didn’t do this on purpose. He didn’t do this offend anybody. I apologize to anybody that it offended, believe me.” said Villejoin.

---

quote:

---

UPDATE: In a Facebook post by Estherwood City Hall, council members say they will not address a controversial Facebook post made by an Estherwood police officer.

The post says, Mayor Borill and Aldermen have no authority over the police department, other than their budget. They advise anyone with a complaint to contact Police Chief Ernest J. Villejoin, Sr.

Earlier today, Villejoin sais he would bring up the post at next week's council meeting. It's still unclear if any disciplinary action will be taken against the officer.

--------------

Estherwood Police Chief Ernest Villejoin says he will bring up an officer's Facebook post at next week's council meeting.

"I didn't know anything about it until 10 this morning," Villejoin said. "A woman called from Houston to tell him about it. I apologize for the post. It is too soon to say if there will be any disciplinary action at this time."

Villejoin said he will bring it up at the council meeting next Thursday, August 10, and the council will decide if any action will be taken.

KATC does not identify people in the situations unless they have been charged with a crime.

The post in question showed a white woman holding a white child's head underwater in a bathtub with a caption that indicates this is "what you do" when your daughter's "first crush" is an African American child.

The officer in question did take the post down, and since then has made several posts about the incident.

His most recent one, made at about 5 p.m. on Monday, was an apology.

"Well, I posted something on Facebook that made a lot of people mad," he wrote. "Well, I'm sorry for what happen. Ya have a blessed day."

Earlier in the day and yesterday, he wasn't so apologetic, although he said he did take down the offending post.

"It's not against the law to share something on Facebook. It's social media. Internet," he posted.

"I shared somebody else's posts and everybody mad at me again," he wrote. "So Facebook police mad at me."

He also posted about the "race card" and how people want to say he's a "bad guy."

The officer's Facebook page, which is public, includes frequent posts about guns, welding and news articles about area police investigations. He has shared posts about law enforcement officers who have died, including several honoring African-American officers. The officer's page also has shared posts that: call women in burquas "trash bags," make fun of Democrats, in particular female elected officials and Michelle Obama, make fun of overweight women and of women who receive child support. He also posts multiple positive items about the Dallas Cowboys and President Donald Trump.

---