the first black Miss Alabama has been facing a hefty backlash in the wake of the police murders in Dallas. Kalyn Chapman James posted a video on Facebook in the aftermath of the attack, claiming that Dallas gunman Micah Xavier Johnson was a “martyr” and that “I don’t feel sad for the officers that lost their lives and I know that’s not really my heart.”
WPBT2's statement regarding comments made by one of its contractors surrounding the tragic events in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/WCDvVq0eOi
— WPBT2 (@WPBT2) July 11, 2016
It’s truly a strong opinion to toss out following such a violent week in America and the response was just as strong. Her employer at WPBT2 in Florida put James on leave and the former Miss Alabama has been on the defensive, speaking with news outlets and sitting for an interview with CNN that manages to walk back her message:
After receiving intense criticism for her categorization of a man who killed five police officers and wounded seven others, James tried to backtrack on her original statement.
“I reiterate that I do not condone violence or killing at all,” she later told AL.com.
“I offer my deepest condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones this week, including the officers in Dallas.”
Her latest appearance was on the Sean Hannity show, which went about how you would expect if you haven’t watched the clip above. The entire situation is one of the more sour notes to follow the tragedy in Dallas, especially since you know that others likely felt similar to James following Dallas and just didn’t post their thoughts to Facebook.